


The Next Generation

by almaia



Category: Political RPF, Political RPF - UK 20th-21st c.
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Lolitics - Freeform, Multi, community: lolitics_meme
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2018-09-09 04:51:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 59,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8876698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/almaia/pseuds/almaia
Summary: Theresa and Philip May find themselves adopting a child following a PMQs session where Jeremy Corbyn brings up the alarming limitation of abortion in Northern Ireland.





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FromAshesToStardust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FromAshesToStardust/gifts).



> I finally got around to writing this fic which started off as a prompt that MisleadGoddess and I came up with where Theresa and Jeremy debate on the alarming lack of access to abortion in Northern Ireland and somewhere during the debate, Jeremy tells her to practice what her party preaches about "adoption not abortion" and Theresa gladly accepts the challenge.
> 
> Basically, Theresa and Philip May find themselves adopting a child as a result of that PMQs session (and more of that will be explained in the later chapters).
> 
> Disclaimer: The content of this work is purely fictional even if the characters are real life figures and some real life events are referenced to. No disrespect and political bias is intended by this work.

“Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that women in Northern Ireland have a hard time gaining safe access to abortion. It has come to the point that they go to other countries, such as Scotland, just so that they could get one. In fact, the First Minister of Scotland has started up initiatives to cater to these women who come to her country just to get safe abortions. This is clearly proof that access to safe abortions in Northern Ireland is alarmingly limited. What does the Prime Minister have to say about this?”

That day, one of the agenda for Prime Minister’s questions was whether Northern Ireland should be pressured to relax on their abortion laws or not. Jeremy Corbyn was very much aware that the Prime Minister wouldn’t put so much urgency on this but he decided to give it a go anyway. _There was nothing he’d lose from this, right?_ If one thing, he’s going to gain something here and that’s praises from the Labourites in Northern Ireland.

Jeremy then sat down after he had delivered his question and the Prime Minister was called to answer.

“Mr. Speaker, I am very much aware of the predicament up in Northern Ireland regarding access to abortion. While I am personally for restrictions when it comes to abortion, and while that is a stand also held by the Conservative Party – I do agree with the Right Honourable Leader of the Opposition that what we’re seeing in Northern Ireland is _alarmingly limited_. As much as the national government would want to intervene, do remember that we have devolved our control on Northern Ireland and at the end of the day, it is still for them to decide how to manage their abortion policies.”

Jeremy was quite unimpressed by her answer. Her tone sounded like she was actually agreeing with Northern Ireland rather than just merely acknowledging that Westminster can’t do anything with the problem.

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister clearly has not seen the gravity of the problem. All she has given us are vague answers. We all know that the Right Honourable Prime Minister herself aligns with the Pro-Life on issues like abortion. It is a well known fact that these Pro-Life aligning people would tell a woman who would consider abortion to take the “adoption not abortion” route, that is, to carry their unborn child to full term _and_ then give them up for adoption. With that, I would like to ask the Prime Minister, _would she take the same approach if she were to be asked by a woman considering abortion to convince her to do otherwise_?”

When Jeremy had ended his follow-up question to the Prime Minister, it was the Prime Minister once again who took centerstage. Oh, Theresa was so determined to answer that question. She thought to herself, _Does Corbyn really think I would face this situation with inaction like those fake Conservatives would?_

“Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Leader of the Opposition for that rather provoking question. To him I say that if a woman considering abortion were to ask me to convince her to do otherwise – I would definitely convince her not to get an abortion and to opt to giving their child up for adoption. In fact, I would be more than willing to adopt their child myself. Speaking of which, we should all work together to end the stigma that parents who choose to have children through the means of adoption are _inferior_ to parents who choose to have children through “natural” means. At the end of the day, it shouldn’t be how parents have had their children that matters, but rather, their dedication to raise their children properly.”

And just like that, Theresa did what could be the equivalent of a micdrop (except it is unparliamentary to do a literal micdrop in the House of Commons) and sat down to the cheering coming from both sides of the House of Commons. Right there, she was able to turn the conversation around in her favor – and not just in her favor – but in the favor of those who became parents through adopting their child.

What she didn’t know though, was that her opportunity to become a mother in such a way would come _sooner than she expected_.

 


	2. Beady Brown Eyes and Dirty Blonde Hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theresa and Philip receive a surprise on Christmas Day + Nicola Sturgeon makes an important announcement on Boxing Day

**_December 25, 2016_ **

Theresa May and her husband were in the middle of a Christmas day luncheon with their elderly constituents when she had to suddenly take a call…

“Oh, hello Jeremy!” She answered, “I’m in the middle of an engagement with my constituents right now. What made you call me?”

“Remember when you said that you were willing to adopt a child of someone considering abortion?” The voice from the other line spoke

“Yes, of course. In fact, I am very much committed to that.” She said in the most enthusiastic tone ever

“Speaking of which, my niece just gave birth in the wee hours of the morning today. She considered aborting her daughter but she told me some pro-life sidewalk counselors made her turn around.” Jeremy told her, “She doesn’t want to keep her daughter so she is putting her up for adoption. In the best interest for my grandchild, I’d rather that you adopt her. I can see that you’d be capable of giving her a good future.”

“Alright…” she said, taken aback with the fact that she didn’t expect that opportunity to come to her this quick. Just a few weeks ago, she had proclaimed at the PMQs that she’d be more than willing to adopt a child if given the opportunity, “So when do Philip and I come around to see the baby?”

“As soon as you’ve wrapped up that engagement of yours.” Jeremy said.

* * *

When the luncheon with the elderly constituents of Maidenhead had ended, Theresa and Philip drove up to the Whittington Hospital at Islington. Jeremy told them that this was the hospital where his niece had just given birth.

“Oh, you two finally made it!” Jeremy said as he greeted the couple by the hospital’s entrance

“Apologies if we turned up a bit late.” Theresa spoke, “It’s the traffic that’s caused our delay.”

“Anyway, my niece will be discharged by the hospital soon.” Jeremy spoke, “So it is best that you and Philip come up to meet her and the baby right now.”

Jeremy ushered the two into the Maternity Ward of the hospital and as they came in, they were met by patients who were excited at the fact that the Prime Minister (and her husband) came to visit. Though they weren’t told that the Prime Minister was coming but nevertheless, they seemed appreciative of it.

Theresa and Philip took some time to do some small talk with the patients before they finally got to the bed where Jeremy’s niece was at.

“This is Jas. My niece and the biological mother of the child that you’ve considered to adopt.” Jeremy said as his niece eased herself up (while keeping her baby intact) to shake the hands of the couple that her uncle had brought over.

“Hello Jas. I am Theresa May, the Prime Minister.” Theresa tried not to look too excited in front of the biological mother of her future daughter, “Your uncle brought up your situation to me and I am glad to say that I am more than willing to help you.”

“So you are adopting my daughter, Mrs. May?” Jas asked in a tone that seemed informal (still, she placed enough effort to put some formality)

“Yes.” Theresa bluntly put it, “I assure you that your daughter will be in safe hands and should you feel that I am not raising her properly, you are free to find someone else who is more capable than I would be.”

“I am confident that you will raise my daughter well.” Jas said as she looked endearingly at the baby that she was about to put for adoption to the very woman she is speaking to right now.

“So, when does the adoption process start?” Philip asked, “And I do apologize for butting into the conversation.”

“We plan to start the process tomorrow.” Jeremy spoke, “As government offices are closed today and Jas won’t be discharged until an hour from now.”

“Would you like to hold her?” Jas asked Theresa, referring to the baby.

Theresa eagerly took the baby from Jas’ arms and cradled the baby. Fortunately, she didn’t drop the baby and that came with the fact that she herself is a godmother to over 40 people (who were once babies themselves) so she has done this for 40 times or so. This baby had beady brown eyes and dirty blonde hair. Theresa assumed that the biological father of the child must have been blonde as the biological mother was a brunette.

“Does she have a name?” Theresa curiously asked. She maintained that if Jas had already decided a name for the child, she would respect Jas’ wishes on that and let her daughter keep the given name even when the adoption has been finalized.

“Not yet.” Jas responded, “That’s for you to decide, Mrs. May.”

“I’ve always wanted to name my daughter Hilda.” Theresa said as she doted on the baby, “After Margaret Thatcher. Hilda was her middle name. Naming this lass Margaret would be _too_ obvious.”

“Aren’t you going to name her after me too?” Jeremy jokingly asked, “If you’re going to name her after the “Greatest Prime Minister of the 1980s”, might as well name her after the “Greatest Opposition Backbencher of the 1980s” too!”

“I’ll make that Hilda Bernadette.” Theresa told him, “I’ve taken her middle name from your middle name. Bernadette is the feminine form of Bernard.”

“Honestly, you just made my granddaughter’s name sound so _posh_!” Jeremy commented, “For heaven’s sake, don’t raise her to grow up like Cameron!”

“Do you honestly think I’m raising your granddaughter _like that_?” Theresa asked, “Don’t you ever think I’m going to make your granddaughter an undignified woman. Never will I think of doing that!”

“Don’t listen to him, dear.” Theresa whispered to the baby, “I’ll keep my promise to your mother of raising you properly.” She added before kissing the baby on the forehead. The baby, or rather, Hilda, looked at her with her beady brown eyes – something in Hilda’s eyes seemed like she felt safety in this woman’s arms.

* * *

**December 26, 2016**

It was boxing day and Jeremy Corbyn and Jas decided to pay the Mays a visit at 10 Downing Street. The Mays had just returned from their Christmas Weekend in their constituency. That afternoon when Jeremy and his niece came to visit was spent with tea and Theresa trying to ease herself more with the baby.

“My uncle and I already filed the initial papers for the adoption process.” Jas told Philip and Theresa, “The office staff said it should be delivered here by tomorrow. I believe you already know what to do with the papers next, since you were the former Home Secretary.”

“And if I do fail to recall, I can always ring up Amber to help me out.” Theresa said, referring to her Home Secretary.

“Oh my…Nicola Sturgeon just announced her pregnancy!” Jeremy reacted as he looked at his phone, “She’s 23 weeks into her pregnancy!”

“A congratulatory message is in order for her, then!” Theresa replied. Oh, she wasn’t the only one who was getting a baby. The First Minister of Scotland was getting hers too – five years after experiencing a miscarriage.

“This time around though, the baby is sure to make it to full term.” Jeremy further said, “23 weeks and onwards, there isn’t much risk for miscarriage. She did mention in a press release that she and her husband are taking steps to ensure hers and her unborn child’s well-being.”

Theresa grabbed her phone and tweeted out a congratulatory message for the First Minister of Scotland. She then opened up her Notes app to write some details for a press release on the occasion. In the same press release, she also revealed that she and her husband were now in the process of adopting a child.

When she had finished the details, she sent it to one of her staffers, instructing them to craft it into a press release to be released as soon as possible.

* * *

On the evening of that day, a press release from the Prime Minister was read by the evening news and posted on social media by news outlets. It read:

_The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom would like to send her warmest congratulations to the First Minister of Scotland on the occasion of her pregnancy. The Prime Minister hopes that the pregnancy will be a smooth sailing one for both the mother and the baby._

_In conjunction, the Prime Minister also wishes to announce that she and her husband are already in the process of adopting their own child after a constituent of the Leader of the Opposition who wanted to give their child up for adoption was referred to them._


	3. They Ruined Madonna For Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theresa and Jeremy finally have that emergency meeting on top-up funding which leads to the two admitting how their MPs ruined Madonna for them and someone's sleep getting disturbed by their impassioned arguments.

**December 28, 2016**

It initially started off as an emergency meeting on top-up funding for the elderly and ended with Jeremy Corbyn venting out his frustration over his MPs.

“Look, our Christmas Karaoke Night went well.” Jeremy spoke, “That was until some MP thought it was a splendid idea to throw a _Karaoke Revolution_.”

“Well, you are that one person who incites revolutions.” Theresa remarked, “In fact, that’s what your campaigns have been fueled on. What makes it such a problem, anyway?”

“The problem is…they were throwing that revolution **_on me_**!” Jeremy was getting highly frustrated that the Prime Minister was just not getting it, like she can’t get his policy concessions, “Someone thought it was a nice idea to poke fun at me by singing Tony Blair’s campaign song on the karaoke. They even went far enough to singing The Beatles’ _Back in the USSR_ because they think I side with Russia on the Syria crisis. But I don’t! **_And you know that_**!”

“For heaven’s sake Jeremy, grow up!” was all Theresa could say. But whatever, Jeremy was going on with this!

“You know what’s more ridiculous? One of them thought singing “Like A Virgin” to mock me over that row I had with Virgin Trains was a good idea. They just ruined Madonna for me, I swear!” Jeremy was about to be reduced to tears at this point but it would be stupid for him to cry in front of her.

“You thought you’re the only one who had someone ruin Madonna for them?” Theresa said, her palms hitting the desk as she abruptly stood up, “You should hear what Nicky Morgan did to me! I dropped by this Karaoke Night that my MPs were doing and she started singing to “Material Girl”, oh that girl hasn’t moved on from trashing me for those leather pants!”

“And I believe we’re on the same page now!” Jeremy said, relief creeping into his voice, “You might as well want to add in the fact that we were both judged over our clothing choices by Tory MPs who have greatly lost their prominence. That’s Cameron and Morgan, by the way!”

“Guess you could say they both ruined Madonna for us.” Theresa remarked, chuckling

“So do we have to ban Madonna from the UK now?” Jeremy asked

“I don’t think Hilda approves of that.” Theresa replied as a baby’s cry was overheard.

Oh yes, Jeremy brought Hilda along to the meeting because Jasmin practically left her soon to be adopted baby under his care until the papers could be sorted out. Hilda laid on a baby carrier on top of the desk that separated the Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister.

Theresa carefully took Hilda out of the carrier and started rocking her back to sleep.  Jeremy watched as the Prime Minister tried to put his grandchild back to sleep. There was really just something so natural about how Theresa handled the baby. It was like she was really meant to raise her in the first place because in a few minutes, the baby had calmed down.

“So anyway.” Jeremy said softly, “The papers, they should be here by Wednesday for you to go over with.” He added

“Do you still want us to discuss more on the top-up funding?” Theresa asked, softly as well, “Or have you conceded to me like you always do?”

“This conversation is not yet over!” Jeremy replied

“Darling, you better not turn this into another shouting match.” Theresa said, “Unless you want poor Hilda here to wake up crying again because of your impassioned arguments.”

“Fine.” Jeremy spoke, with his head bowed down in defeat.


	4. Fairy Lights and Cameras

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After bargaining with the Home Secretary to help them expedite the adoption process, the Mays are finally able to take Hilda home

**_March 2017_ **

Theresa May had just returned from a state visit in the United States which ended with her chastising Donald Trump about why he is such a bad conservative and a bad President in general. He wasn’t even the worst _fake conservative_ that she’s come across with. She’s come across with worse within her own party.

Her phone rung as she was driven back to 10 Downing Street from the airport and she sure as heck hoped this wasn’t Trump calling her again and begging for an apology. He’d been doing so for what seemed like 1,000 times. Damn, the man was really so rich. He couldn’t mind placing _one thousand_ overseas calls and not worrying about the bills the next month.

 “Hello, who is this?” She asked, trying to keep that stern tone.

“Darling, it’s Philip.” The caller said from the other line, “You need to come home now!”

“But I am on my way home!” She replied, “What are you so excited about?”

The other line went silent for a while until she could hear faint noises, something going along the lines of “come on, say hi to your mummy!” and a baby giggling in response.

“Is that Hilda?” Theresa asked, her eyes widening

“It sure is!” Philip replied, “We’re in luck. Thanks to Amber’s intercession, the adoption process has been sped up for us.”  By Amber, he meant the Home Secretary Amber Rudd. Yes, they had to enlist her help to get Hilda on their arms earlier.

It was a well known fact that adoption was a slow process in the UK and of course, the Home Office definitely had something to do with it (and honestly, Theresa had no right to complain, this was partly her doing with the fixes she made to the adoption policies during her tenure as Home Secretary).

“However, Amber has told us that while the baby already starts staying with us earlier than expected.” Philip spoke, “The observation period is going to last longer. The adoption won’t be finalized until Hilda turns one. She says because we asked for a  special consideration, we’d have to come to this compromise.”

“I do not mind at all.” Was her response, “Now you and Hilda not better run into any trouble!”

“But she’s _just_ three months old! I don’t think she’s going to pit Larry and Palmerston to a fight the second I’ll turn my back.” Philip said, referring to the cats of 10 Downing Street and the Foreign Office, respectively, who were known for their brawls that once injured a journalist and a policeman.

“Alright then, goodbye darling! I’ll see you the soonest!”

* * *

 

The baby was laid on the duvet with a small pillow supporting her head. Fairy lights surrounded her, sort of. A camera was aimed towards her.

“Where did you get this idea of doing this for Hilda’s first photoshoot?” Theresa asked Fiona Hill, her special adviser. Theresa had no idea what the photoshoot was for but she was appreciative of the gesture. Those photos will be important keepsakes, after all. Before she’d know it, her dear Hilda will be all grown up.

“Pinterest.” Fiona answered, “Hopefully this doesn’t turn into a _Pinterest Fail_. Otherwise, you’ll have to fire Nick. This was his idea.”

“Why me?” A shocked Nick Timothy asked as he continued to fiddle around with the camera on his hands, “ _You_ asked me to go on Pinterest and find you those pegs. This was _your_ idea!”

While her special advisers were busy bickering, Theresa knelt down on the end of the bed and leaned towards Hilda. Instantly, Hilda grasped on her mother’s hair as if it was some toy to be played with.

“Come on you sweet little Yorkshire Pudding, let go of my hair.” Theresa cooed to Hilda. Being an avid cook by hobby, Yorkshire Pudding was a nickname she bestowed to her daughter. That of course, owning up to the fact that she was a Christmas baby.

Philip came into the room just in time and watched as her wife played with her daughter. He then joined in, planting a kiss to both his wife and his daughter on the forehead. “Is she causing you any trouble?” Philip asked.

“Stop worrying, dear! She’s just playing with my hair!” Theresa remarked amidst her hair being tugged by Hilda, “So who put this photoshoot together?” she asked her husband.

“I did.” He replied, “I figured out that if we were to update everyone of the adoption process, this would be a good way to let them know that we’ve gone through the next stage. Fiona and Nick have told me that you should go get an Instagram account.”

“And I suppose these pictures of her that they’ll be taking would be uploaded there?” Theresa asked

“Exactly.” Philip replied, “We have to get with the times dear. Hilda’s biological grandfather runs one of those Instagram accounts – to think he’s older than you!” and Philip was met with a death glare from his wife. One that said, “stop making me feel older than Jeremy!”

Still, the baby won’t let go of her hair so she adjusted her head instead so she would be looking at her. That of course, was how Fiona and Nick witnessed their boss, and also her husband making those cute faces to their daughter. Their daughter seemed to be enjoying it as she was now giggling so loudly at her mother.

Nick could not help but laugh, only to get a death glare from Fiona that said “laugh again and she’s going to fire us both!” and now, Nick has a mental image of her yelling “You’re Fired!” at them in a Donald Trump fashion like they’re at _The Apprentice_.

Before the parents and daughter knew it, Nick had already snapped a picture of them, “That actually looks cute.” Fiona remarked as she looked at the screen of the camera, “Should we release that one to the press?”

“Personally, I’d say yes.” Nick replied, “However, our boss will have the final say. She of course, might want this picture for her own collection.”

After diverting Hilda’s attention, she finally let go of her mother’s hair. That, making way for Fiona and Nick to take that picture they were preparing for in the first place. Lucky for them, Hilda wasn’t such a pain to take pictures of. It’s like the camera loves her, “Just like her mum.” Nick thought as he took a few more shots.

* * *

 

**_Edinburgh, Scotland_ **

“Peter, would you look at this!” Nicola Sturgeon said as she held up her phone for her husband, Peter to see, “The Prime Minister’s finally got her daughter and she looks just so adorable!”

Nicola of course, was now seven months pregnant. Two more months until the hot cross bun is ready to be taken out of the oven.  Peter then took the phone from his wife’s hands and took a good look at the pictures – the first one showed Theresa and Philip making what seemed to be cute faces at the baby. The second one was just of the baby herself, lying down a duvet while being surrounded by fairy lights.

“Should we get Andrew one of these photoshoots when he’s born?” Peter asked as he admired the cuteness that was the Prime Minister’s family

“Why not?” Nicola interjected, “Besides, I do plan to do something special for our wee hot cross bun!” That nickname she’s given to her son of course, came from that time the doctor had told them that the baby was due on Easter and Peter, being the cooking enthusiast that he is, jokingly called his son a hot cross bun.

Peter moved closer to his wife on the couch, pressing himself near her bloated tummy, “You know what Andrew, daddy is so excited to see you soon!” Just as Peter finished what he was saying, Nicola felt a kick on her tummy.

“Seems like he’s excited too!” Nicola remarked, “Speaking of which, I do have a meeting scheduled with the Prime Minister next month. I do hope she comes around with Hilda.”

“Well then, why don’t you give her a call?” Peter said as he handed Nicola’s phone back to her. Nicola then dialed Theresa’s number, hoping that her call gets answered. The Prime Minister was busy with many things, like the activation of Brexit to happen sometime in the month.

Thankfully, the call was answered

“Hello, this is the Prime Minister speaking!” the voice from the other line said, “How may I help you?”

“Oh, hello Prime Minister. First of all, congratulations on the baby _and_ your Instagram account!” Nicola said, giggling, “Peter and I have seen the pictures. Anyway, cutting to the chase. I do hope you can bring Hilda with you when we meet in the next month. If that’s not much trouble.”

“I’ve had a better idea, dear.” Theresa said, “We’re coming up to Edinburgh as a family, seeing that the meeting takes place on a weekend and we thought it would be nice for us to have a little weekend getaway in Scotland right after the meeting.”

“I do hope to see you all soon.” Nicola replied, “And tell Hilda that I said hi, alright?”

“Will do.” Theresa said, “And by the way, if you and your husband don’t mind, could you two stand in as her godparents. We plan to have Hilda baptized in a few months time.”

“Well, we’d love to!” Nicola said, after which, she shielded her phone’s speakers with her palm and then turned to Peter, “She wants us to be godparents to her daughter.” She whispered

“I’m fine with that.” Peter replied, “And tell her to tell Hilda I said hi too!”

Nicola then went back to the call, “Oh, and tell Hilda that Peter said hi too.”

“Thank you so much!” Theresa said, “I really appreciate you and your husband’s willingness. I’ll see to it that Hilda knows that you two are excited to see her.”

“Well then, goodbye and see you next month!”

“See you too.”

Nicola then turned to her husband who pulled her into a cuddle, “So it turns out I’m not only going to become a mother – I am becoming a godmother too!” Nicola told him.

“Well, more babies for us to gawk on, then.” Peter remarked, eliciting laughs from Nicola.


	5. Negotiating with the Flower of Scotland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom goes up to Edinburgh for post-Brexit talks with the First Minister - a meeting that becomes productive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As mentioned in the previous chapter, the Mays come to Scotland for two reasons: Theresa's post-Brexit talks with Nicola and for a short family vacation. This chapter covers the first reason.

**_April 2017 – one week before Easter_ **

As the Flying Scotsman approached the platform, a bevy of photographers and journalists were already waiting. You might ask, is Scotland getting graced by Will and Kate and their children?

As the door of the first class car opened, it appears that it’s not the Royal Couple and their children but rather, the Prime Minister with her husband and daughter in tow. Theresa's special advisers, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy followed behind.

“My…Hilda looks so cute in person!” One journalist reacted, “How I wish I’d have a child that beautiful!”

“She’s gonna give Princess Charlotte a run for her money!” Another journalist shouted

As the Prime Minister, her husband and daughter tried to wade through the crowd, she couldn’t help but notice how most of these journalists were basically busy admiring her daughter. For a second there, she expected them to ask her questions about the Brexit deal that Scotland is proposing to Westminster.

“Look at that Hilda, they love you!” Philip cooed to the baby on his wife’s arms. Hilda simply responded by giggling which made the journalists nearest to them go “awwww!”

Not long, a bevy of security detail arrived at the scene, whisking the Prime Minister and her family away to a vehicle that will take them to the Bute House.

The Prime Minister and her family were met by a heavily pregnant Nicola Sturgeon at the steps of Bute House. For someone who is only a week away from giving birth, she was quite energetic. Nicola could not help but feel broody when she first laid her eyes on Hilda. The Prime Minister’s baby, her future goddaughter.

“My…my, what a cute little lass we’ve got here.” Nicola said as she softly pinched Hilda on the cheeks, “Such a cute lass indeed, just like her mummy. Isn’t that right, Hilda?”

“You’re only a week away from giving birth, correct?” Theresa asked. She was also excited at the prospect of Nicola being able to carry a child to full term for the first time. She’d found out some months into her reign as Prime Minister that Nicola was so close to becoming a mother until a miscarriage ruined it for her years ago.

Honestly, there were times she saw Nicola to be more blessed in the sense that she is able to conceive, something that she is unable to do due to fertility problems. However, she did not let that in her way, perhaps God had a reason for that.

“Yup, only a week to go and Peter and I will be seeing our dear Andrew Scott for the first time!” Nicola said in an excited tone, “Well then, shall we go in?” she asked.

The Prime Minister and her family joined the First Minister into the Bute House, not to be seen again until the end of the day. Well, except for the Prime Minister’s husband and daughter, because the Prime Minister had to see them off before the closed door meeting she’s having with the First Minister.

* * *

 “Recognizing that Brexit is inevitable at this point, I propose that the United Kingdom remain with the EEA and Holyrood be given powers to have Scotland participate in the EU.” Nicola spoke, “Unless of course, you are ready to let go of Scotland. It’s your call, Prime Minister.”

“We are absolutely not allowing Scotland to leave the union!” Theresa exclaimed, “The United Kingdom is already falling apart and we do not want it to fall apart any more. To simply put it, we need each other.”

Oh, there was something irresistible with the Prime Minister, Nicola noticed. Her full bust and the way her curves are accentuated by the printed velvet dress she wore that day. Not to mention that the dress gave her a perfect view of her flawlessly long legs as well.

Not wanting to be suspected of gawking at her and also because her cravings have kicked in once again, Nicola took her fifth rice krispies from the tray on the small round table that separated them. A second can of Irn Bru was opened. A sip taken. Soon, she found herself eating two bars of Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer – and a gulp of Irn Bru followed.

But it seems that she’s much busier craving rice krispies, Caramel Wafers and Irn Bru and the Prime Minister noticed it as she stopped in the middle of her “Why Scotland should remain in the UK” lecture.

Theresa took a napkin from the table and passed it over to Nicola for her to wipe her mouth with, “My…you’re such a mess!” she remarked, with laughter

“I can perfectly take care of myself!” Nicola said as she took the napkin from Theresa’s hands, wiping her mouth with it.

“Not quite.” Theresa quipped, “It seems like there’s one more thing you couldn’t take care of and I could be of help.” She added as she flashed a knowing grin on her.

“You don’t say so…” was all Nicola said before the Prime Minister summoned her special adviser, Fiona Hill.

"Mrs. May, is there anything you need?" Fiona asked as she walked towards the two leaders

"Could you get the First Minister a box of Tunnocks and two more cans of Irn Bru. You should be able to purchase those from the cafeteria here." Theresa said

After what seemed to be almost half an hour, Fiona Hill was able to return to the First Minister's office with the box of Tunnocks and the cans of Irn Bru. She then handed the items over to the First Minister who was more than happy to continue consuming them.

* * *

Philip strolled the streets of downtown Edinburgh, carrying the wee Hilda on his arms. While his wife was at a meeting with the First Minister, he decided to head to the downtown with the baby. They were going in from one shop to another this day, looking for something to surprise his wife with.

As they strolled, a group of young people approached them. Oh, this was the exciting part of being the United Kingdom’s First Gentleman – posing for selfies with random people. 90% fun for 10% of the work as he told his wife one time.

“Mr. May, we’d like a selfie with you.” A young woman from the group said, “and of course, with your beautiful wee lass.” She added, referring to Hilda.

“Alright then!” Philip gamely said as he repositioned Hilda so that she could be seen better in the selfie.

The father and daughter posed along with the young people in that selfie, after which, these young people thanked Philip for his time and went off to carry on with their day.

“Well Hilda, you might have to start getting used to people asking for your selfies.” Philip told Hilda, “Especially that you’re still as cute as a button!”

Hilda’s beady brown eyes met with her father’s grey eyes, and she giggled. A sight that onlookers found really cute. Philip then felt a vibration on his pocket – it was his phone. He then took his phone and found that it was a text message from his wife, asking him to come back to the Bute House.

The post-Brexit meeting with Nicola had already finished and so, Philip called for the car that they used that day and off they drove back to the Bute House.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dress that Theresa wears for this chapter is based on [this one](http://www.zara.com/ph/en/woman/dresses/printed-velvet-dress-c269185p3932022.html).


	6. A Scottish Holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theresa, Philip and Hilda visit some of Scotland's best tourist spots and interesting things happen along the way.

Theresa and Philip swore that they were the luckiest people in Scotland that day when the First Minister herself offered to be their tour guide. The First Couple of Britain (with their daughter in tow) have added one more day to their stay in Scotland (which started off as a work-related visit for the Prime Minister) for a short holiday.

Of course, having the First Minister as their tour guide meant that they are able to jump into the front of the queue as she is already heavily pregnant (and who in the right mind would tell a heavily pregnant woman to wait all the way at the back for tourist attractions visited by droves of people?).

“We’re really sorry if we’ve caused any trouble for you two.” Philip said to Peter and Nicola, “Thank you so much for taking us here!”

“We really do appreciate it.” Theresa said as she shifted Hilda around her arms, “This would be something we’d remember, our first vacation as a family.” She added as she planted a kiss on Hilda’s forehead.

“You two are in luck, I’m basically your VIP card right now!” Nicola cheekily remarked, “Without me, you lot wouldn’t be able to jump up to the front of the queue!”

They were now at the Stirling Castle, just on top of Castle Hill in Stirling. No doubt, this was the most famous tourist attraction in Stirling because of its great significance to Scottish history. Nicola, feeling so giddy at that time, decided to challenge the Mays to a chase.

“Catch us if you can, you English Cunts!” she playfully shouted at the couple as she grabbed her husband’s hand. They ran across the esplanade like they were teenagers again, not giving a care in the world.

For a heavily pregnant woman, Nicola was still quite fast as she ran – the Mays merely catching up behind her. Theresa struggled to keep her hold on Hilda steady in one hand and her hold on her husband’s hand in another.

“I don’t think we can catch up, dear.” Philip said as he started panting, “Unlike Nicola, we didn’t have five cans of Irn Bru prior to this.” On the drive to Stirling Castle, the two saw Nicola down five cans of Irn Bru while eating Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers in between. Her cravings were kicking in again at that particular time.

“Oh shut up Philip!” Theresa said, refusing to dampen her competitive spirit, “We can absolutely beat them. We just have to _work together better_.”  And now, her grip on Philip’s hand was even stronger and with full force, she dragged him as she paced faster towards Peter and Nicola.

“Giving up already?” Nicola said as soon as she stopped running, with her hands on her hips and Peter standing beside her, still looking as energized as he did when they started running.

“I’m going to let you win, just this time _nippy sweetie_.” Theresa said as she stopped midway, with Philip almost hitting the ground and Hilda almost spilling from her arm, “Besides, you two have what they call a home court advantage. We were here for a holiday after all, not to duke it out with you and Peter.”

“Oh come on Theresa.” Peter said, “Don’t be so uptight. Loosen up, it will help you when Hilda is old enough to start running all over.” He added.

“You do have a point.” Theresa replied, “However, I believe we looked rather ridiculous running around the esplanade of this castle.” Looking around, there weren’t so much people (as most of them were inside the castle) so they were in luck.

* * *

They were at the Kelpies right now. An entire park full of horse head structures representing mythological transforming beasts with the strength and endurance of ten horses. Yes, you heard that right, the strength and endurance of ten horses.

The same strength and endurance that Peter and Philip seem to have as they duked it out with each other in the middle of the park. It was all Theresa’s idea that hers and Nicola’s husbands duke it out on their behalf with the loser’s wife having to eat a Soreen loaf.

“I wonder if your mum wishes you were never born?” Philip asked as he continued to tackle Peter on the ground. Of course, all this fighting was just done playfully.

“I wonder if she wished for the same.” Peter said as he landed a slap on Philip’s face, “She didn’t spend nine months to have you born just so that you could get a History degree that won’t bring food to the table!”

“How dare you insult Liberal Arts majors like that!” Philip said as he pushed Peter back to the ground, “I work for the biggest insurance firms, I’m married to the Prime Minister! And you? Just a university professor married to a First Minister!”

“You’re not an economics major, bloke!” Peter finally mustered the strength to flip Philip to the ground with him now on top, “Maybe that’s why our economy is fucked up after Brexit! Because it’s left on the care to some man who doesn’t even know how the economy works!”

“Come on Peter! Finish him!” A random man from the crowd watching them shouted, “Make sure the Prime Minister ends up eating Soreen!” he said, referring to Britain’s most hated snack – the Soreen loaf.

“Philip, there is no way I’m eating that _disgusting_ malt loaf!” Theresa said, cheering on his husband who was trying to gain control, “You better put Peter back in the ground now or I am personally doing it myself!”

“Oh no Theresa, oh no you can’t!” Nicola said, holding the Prime Minister back, “We had a deal. Our husbands duke it out for us. If you enter the fight, that would be cheating, now wouldn’t it?”. Feeling defeated, Theresa stepped back, holding Hilda tightly and whispering to her to hope that her mummy wouldn’t have to end up eating Soreen after this.

“It doesn’t matter. They kept me with my job because I’ve proven to them that I am worth more than my degree!” Philip shouted as he tried to pull Peter down, only for him to end up being pinned to the ground.

“Your wife is eating that malt loaf.” Peter now cast a dark glare at Philip as he delivered the last slap onto his face. It was over. Peter won the fight after the two minute time that was set for them to duke it out.

Peter got off Philip and helped him off the ground then Philip dusted off his coat before joining his wife and daughter. Nicola and Peter started making faces at them, showing them the pack of Soreen loaf that they brought along.

Nicola walked up to Theresa and leaned closer to Hilda, telling her “Be a good girl and keep a beady eye on your mummy okay. Make sure she eats up all the Soreen loaf!”. This of course, led to Theresa pouting at the Scottish First Minister.

* * *

The five of them now found themselves at the nearby park for lunch. There were many assortments of food that was brought along. Deep Fried Mars Bars, Fish and Chips, cans of Irn Bru and of course, the dreaded Soreen loaf.

Nicola laid down on her husband’s lap as Hilda crawled over her bloated abdomen. Just opposite them were Theresa and Philip, with Theresa leaning on her husband while finishing her Soreen loaf.

“This is awful.” Theresa said in between bites, “Remind me to tell Philip Hammond to hike up the taxes for whoever is responsible for these horrible loaves of malt!”

“You better finish that loaf, Theresa!” Nicola ordered, “The sooner you’ll finish, the sooner you’ll be out of that predicament of yours.” Then Theresa made a disgusting face on Nicola, clearly showing that she is so done with this.

Nicola then reached out to the baby that was crawling over her stomach. She then adjusted her position so that she could hold the baby better. Hilda snuggled on the swollen abdomen like it was the softest pillow she has laid upon and honestly, Nicola found it cute.

“Oh, would you look at that!” Nicola remarked, “Hilda seems to be telling our dear Andrew to come out and play.” She gushed further as Hilda babbled on her stomach. The First Minister was blushing with her cheeks as red as the suit she wore to the 2016 SNP Conference.

“Hilda dear, he won’t be out until next week.” Peter told the baby on top of his wife’s bloated abdomen, “But I think he can feel you up there.”

Hilda was babbling some more to the swollen stomach, as if she wasn’t aware that the swollen stomach could only answer her with a soft kick. By this time, Theresa had finished the Soreen loaf and downed an entire can of Irn Bru to wash off the taste of the loaf. Philip watched on as her daughter played with the First Minister’s swollen abdomen.

Theresa took out her phone and snapped a picture of her darling baby playing with the First Minister’s bloated tummy. Oh, it was such a cute sight indeed! A photo for the keeps and for uploading to Instagram.

The caption read: “ _Looks like someone couldn’t wait to play with the First Minister’s son_.”


	7. Two Becomes Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicola Sturgeon gives birth to her son in the middle of the season finale of the sixth season of The Voice

**Glasgow, Scotland – April 15, 2017**

Nicola and Peter were huddled up at the couch watching the series final of The Voice UK’s sixth series. They were already watching the second song being performed by the four finalists. Hopefully, this would take Nicola’s mind out of the pain caused by the contractions she has been experiencing for the last couple of hours.

“I sure hope Bianca Nicholas goes home as the winner.” Nicola said as she took a sip of Irn Bru, not minding the pain from her contractions. Yes, her craving for Scotland’s second famous drink was still there even when she’s now hours away from giving birth, “She had it tough two years ago and in the years that followed. She deserves a redemption!”

“She got Ricky Wilson as her coach, she should be okay.” Peter said as he brushed his wife’s hair from her face. Nicola snuggled closer to him, hoping that it would subside the pain. At this point, Bianca was just called to perform her first song – Katy Perry’s _Rise_ which was famous as the theme song used for the US coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

In the middle of the judges critiquing Bianca’s first performance for that night, Nicola felt pain again. It had been some twenty minutes since her last contraction. It was already 10:50pm and this was her sixth consecutive contraction. Her water had already broken earlier and all she and Peter had to do were wait.

The Voice moving to ITV gave it a later timeslot which explained while the grand final dragged through way past ten in the evening. Honestly, it was a change that Nicola was thankful for the last minute – as it helped her take her mind off the pain that was her contractions.

11:00pm - Ricky and Bianca were now in the middle of their performance of Queen’s _Bohemian Rhapsody_ when Nicola felt piercing pain on her abdomen again.

“You alright, dear?” Peter asked Nicola, who was visibly clutching her abdomen.

“Y-yes, I am.” Nicola said, trying to ignore the pain from the contractions, “W-well actually…fuck, this is so painful! I do not think I couldn’t take this any longer!” she was now on the verge of tears – Bianca Nicholas was now on the verge of unleashing into vocal fury as the bridge of the song kicked in.

“Ten minutes between contractions, it’s time to head to the hospital!” Peter said as he whisked Nicola out of the couch, carrying her in his arms as he grabbed the car keys from the side table.

_So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?_

_So you think you can love me and leave me to die?_

_Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby,_

_Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here._

Peter set Nicola down on the passenger’s seat before quickly moving to the driver’s seat. As soon as he placed the keys on the ignition, he drove off faster than he ever did. Nicola held on to her dear life as Peter drove past Govanhill – the Glasgow ghetto that looked even more disturbing at night.

“Maybe I should have prioritized fixing Govanhill!” Nicola shouted in between her painful contractions, “Gosh, it looks scary at night!”

“Then do it after you push our wee hot cross bun out of the oven!” Peter said as he drove even more furiously, “Can you still hold on, dear?” he asks her

“Are you doubting my ability to walk out of a tough situation strong?” Nicola shot back

“Sorry!”

* * *

Swiftly, Peter drove into the driveway of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital – hitting the brakes as soon as he found a good place to park the car. Stumbling out of the car, he unlocks the door to the passenger’s seat and carries Nicola bridal-style, dashing straight into the emergency room.

“I need a doctor!” Nicola shouted while in the arms of her husband, “I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!” she shouted as she clutched on her abdomen.

A stretcher came in their way and the emergency room nurses took Nicola from her husband’s arms, putting her down in the stretcher. Everything happened so fast because the next thing they knew, they were all at the emergency room.

In the first half of Nicola’s delivery, she was either pulling Peter by the ear or swearing at him due to the pain she’s experiencing. The doctor and the nurses could not help but laugh at some point but work needed to be done.

“BIANCA NICHOLAS BETTER WIN THE VOICE AFTER I PUSH THIS BABY OUT!” Nicola shouted as she made a hard push, “AND YOU PETER, GET READY TO PAY UP!” she added, referring to the fact that she placed a bet with him earlier that Bianca Nicholas would win.

“Yes, darling.” Was all Peter said as he watched the intense situation unfold, gobsmacked.

“We can see the head now!” The doctor shouted, “That was quite fast!”

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR? PULL THAT WEE HOT CROSS BUN OUT OF THE OVEN!” Nicola shouted as she made another hard push – and my, she found it easy to push the baby out. She thought that with all the pain she experienced, she would have a hard time pushing the baby out.

“What is this, Masterchef meets the Great British Bake-Off?” A nurse asked

“Alright, it’s safe to pull the baby out now!” The doctor said as she led in pulling the baby out of Nicola. It went on _really_ smoothly. The nurse that went to catch the baby could feel the heavy weight of the baby, _A ten pounder_ , she thought.

“It’s a boy!” The doctor shouted as she inspected the baby’s reproductive organ, “Congratulations Miss Sturgeon and Mr. Murrell!” and with that, Nicola started crying tears of joy. There he was – her wee lad, crying loudly.

“Well, that was quite quick!” Nicola remarked in between the tears, “I thought I’d still be stuck here delivering until the wee hours of the morning. How long was I pushing the baby out?” she asks, turning to the doctor.

“An hour. It took you an hour to deliver the baby.” The doctor said, “Quite quick, indeed.”

Meanwhile, one of the nurses handed Peter the birth certificate for him to sign on. After the signing has been done, it read:

_This is to certify that Andrew Scott Murrell-Sturgeon weighing 9lbs 5oz was born on the day of Sunday, 16 th April to Peter Murrell and Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon in the year of 2017_

Yup, the First Minister just pushed a nine pounder out of her body – like a warrior.

One of the nurses then handed Andrew Scott to Nicola after he was cleaned up. Nicola’s brown eyes met with his beady brown ones. “Hello there, wee lad. Welcome to the world!” she said, planting a kiss on the baby’s forehead afterwards. All the baby did was yawn at her.

“Worn out, aren’t you?” Peter says to the baby

“Yup, he’s worn out alright.” Nicola remarked

“In case you still want to find out,” The doctor said after looking at her phone, “Bianca Nicholas won the sixth series of The Voice. Looks like your husband has to pay up!”

“Oh my…” Peter said, defeated, as he proceeded to fish his wallet out of his pocket, “Here’s one hundred pounds, Nicola.” He added as he handed the 100 pound note to a pleased Nicola who was twice as happy at this time – not did she only safely give birth to their son but she also won a bet that she placed with her husband.

* * *

Theresa’s phone vibrated multiple times, causing her to jolt awake just past midnight. Checking the reason why her phone has vibrated multiple times (as she did not remember putting it on alarm that sets off past midnight), she found that it was a text message from Nicola causing it.

Opening the message, it read:

_Prime Minister, thank you so much for helping me last week! Had a smooth and quick delivery of a 9lbs 5oz baby boy._

And Theresa’s lips curled into a grin. She was proud to see the First Minister of Scotland have a successful pregnancy. Then she thought that she should come up to Scotland to visit her in the coming weekend.


	8. A Weekend In Glasgow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mays pay the Sturgeon-Murrell family a visit after the birth of their son, Andrew Scott.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to wish everyone reading this fanfic a Merry Christmas wherever you may be! I really hope the latest chapter of this fic will, in a way, make your day this Christmas.

Nicola was seated on the couch with her baby, Andrew Scott, snuggled to her chest. The mother and baby decided to bond over Saturday morning television programming. Peter meanwhile, was busy cleaning up the kitchen as they had just finished eating breakfast.

Their bonding session was somewhat interrupted by the ring of the doorbell, “Peter, will you get the door!” Nicola shouts from the living room.

Peter quickly emerged from the kitchen and made his way to the front door. Opening the door, he saw the Prime Minister, her husband and her daughter – and a box full of things that he assumes, are supposed to be presents for the new baby in their house.

“Who’s at the door?” Nicola asked from the living room

“We’ve got the Prime Minister and her family!” Peter answered back

“Send them in!” Nicola shouted back

Theresa and Philip were guided by Peter into the living room where they saw Nicola and her baby on the couch. Sensing that the couple have entered the living room, Nicola shifted her position to face them.

“Good Morning Prime Minister.” Nicola said warmly, “And to you too, Mr. May and of course, to your adorable wee lass.” She added

“Good Morning to you too, Nicola.” Theresa responded, “My, for a newborn, your baby looks quite huge.” She chuckled playfully afterwards. Hilda wasn’t that heavy when she was born. Hilda was 6lbs and 3oz according to her birth certificate.

“He’s such a huge one indeed.” Nicola responded, “I don’t know whether to still call him a wee lad or not. Nine pounds is not quite small.” She chuckled as well.

Theresa then proceeded to sit next to Nicola on the couch, adjusting Hilda so that she would be snuggling on her chest as well. She then called for her husband to set down the box that he was carrying. The box containing presents for Andrew Scott.

“I do hope these clothes fit your not-so-wee lad.” Theresa said as she pulled out a bag full of clothes from the box. Nicola took the clothes from her hands and inspected them, nodding in approval.

“These are designer, aren’t they?” Nicola quizzed as she set the clothes down on the couch

“Why would I buy your son clothes from wherever Jeremy Corbyn gets his clothes?” Theresa asked, pretending to sound offended, “Just because I disagree with you politically doesn’t mean I’d do that!” she added, laughing afterwards.

“Thank you, really.” Nicola said as she inspected the other contents of the box, “I wasn’t expecting this at all.” She added.

Suddenly, Andrew started crying, “Oh, he must be hungry.” Nicola remarked as she proceeded to open her button-up top so that she could breastfeed her son. The baby quickly latched on his mother’s breast, just showing how hungry he was.

As if just by mere coincidence, now it was Hilda that was crying and Theresa was trying hard to calm her down but she just wouldn’t stop crying. It was clearly not a full diaper that sent Hilda crying and Nicola sensed that it only meant one thing – Hilda was probably hungry too.

“It seems like Hilda is hungry too.” Nicola casually remarked as she continued breastfeeding Andrew, “Would you like me to feed her?”

Theresa, being gobsmacked when Nicola asked that question, simply found herself nodding while passing Hilda on to Nicola, “You better be careful with my baby.” She said when she finally gathered the composure to speak.

“I will!” Nicola said as she received Hilda, positioning her by the side opposite to Andrew. She then eased Hilda on her free breast and Hilda latched onto it quickly as well. At this point, Nicola found herself feeding two babies simultaneously, “Wow, looks like you snagged yourself a wet nurse, Prime Minister!” and with that, Nicola laughed, careful not to shake the babies that she is feeding.

“I might consider bringing you back to London so that I can have someone feed Hilda when I’m at work.” Theresa remarked humorously, “They do say that breastmilk is healthier for the baby.” She added.

“Then who is going to be the First Minister of Scotland if you take me down with you?” Nicola asked playfully as she leaned down to plant kisses on her son’s and Hilda’s foreheads. The babies snuggled themselves closer to Nicola’s chest, eager to have more milk.

“Who else but Ruth Davidson.” Was the playful answer that came from Theresa, “She’s the only other person capable of running Scotland.”

“I’d rather stay here, dear.” Nicola quipped, “If you want Hilda to get breastmilk so bad, you’d have to come up here to Glasgow on the weekends.”

“Now you’re just giving me excuses to come here.” Then Theresa started giggling for what seemed to be eternity. By the time she had already stopped, Hilda had already gotten her fill and was slowly falling asleep when Nicola handed her back to her mother.

* * *

Meanwhile, Peter and Philip found themselves in the kitchen, chatting over cups of coffee. Peter was still new to this whole being a father thing. For the record, he’s only been a father for a week.  

“Do you ever have those moments of getting up at two in the morning to the point that you’ve lost your sense of time?” Peter asked as he took a sip of coffee

“It’s been a month or so and I do get that feeling.” Philip answered, “But Hilda isn’t much trouble. It only takes her a couple of minutes to calm down once you’ve got around to rocking her back to sleep.” He added.

“But then sometimes, it’s a full diaper that causes it.” Peter spoke as he remembered the past night where he and Nicola had to change Andrew’s diaper together at three in the morning. He swore he could have missed the trash can when he was about to aim the used diaper into it.

“Don’t even get me started on that one!” Philip remarked, “Theresa always leaves me with the duty to chuck the used diaper into the bin – and yes, she even asked me to take the entire bin out in the wee hours of the morning as it happened to be full by then.”

While he is happy to do those chores, he still found it overwhelming that he came to the point of having to do these chores. Ever since he was informed of his wife’s infertility, this never crossed his mind again until Hilda came into their lives.

“Before we know it, our babies would be all grown up, running all over the place.” Peter mused, “Might as well bond with them now before they get to that stage in life.” Oh, he was now imagining Andrew and Hilda, being a few years older, being all giddy and all over the place.

“Well then, let’s see what our babies and their mothers are up to.” Philip suggested as he walked out of the kitchen, with Peter trailing behind. When they emerged into the living room, they were met with the sight of their wives engaging in playful banter as their babies slept soundly.

It was such a breathtaking moment and one that they did not dare to interfere with.


	9. A Day Full of Milestones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy Corbyn sobs during PMQs after thanking the Prime Minister for adopting Hilda and Hilda reaches a new milestone.

**June 2017**

“Mr. Speaker, I for one, am very delighted that our Prime Minister has taken her words into action. It was Christmas day of last year when I called up the Prime Minister to ask her if she were interested in helping my constituent out. This help she extended to my constituent was through adopting her daughter whom she could not keep due to circumstances that make it unfit for her to raise a child. With that, I would like to thank the Prime Minister for her actions. I wish her and her husband the best in raising the said child, whom they have named Hilda Bernadette.”

When Jeremy Corbyn wrapped up his statement, he was already covered in tears. Sobbing intensely in front of the Prime Minister – in front of his shadow cabinet, hell, in front of all these MPs and the cameras. His sobs came from the fact that he couldn’t believe that he got the Prime Minister to listen to him.

The real shocker though, was when the Prime Minister suddenly crossed floors to give him a hug. MPs from both sides of the benches were gobsmacked as they watched the two do something that not even Nick Clegg and David Cameron (or David Cameron and Ed Miliband) dared to do.

“What the fuck, Jeremy!” Owen Smith mouthed as he was elbowed by the MP seated beside him.

“Oh, the press is going to have a field day with this!” Rebecca Long-Bailey, one of Jeremy’s frontbenchers commented.

“Well shit.” Was all that John McDonnell could utter

“I’m pretty sure Andrea is the only person happy with this.” Boris Johnson commented as he eyed on Andrea Leadsom, who seemed to look so pleased with the sight before her.

Watching from the television in his office, Philip May was just as gobsmacked as everyone in the House of Commons when he saw his wife cross floors to hug the sobbing Leader of the Opposition.

“Congratulations Philip!” his coworker said, “Looks like Labour just handed your wife another five years for the Conservatives.”

“Right.” Another coworker of his said, “Labour made a terrible mistake in electing that Jeremy Corbyn chap. They should have kept Miliband!”

“I-I can’t Jeremy Corbyn sobbed in Parliament on PMQs.” Philip said as his eyes were fixed on the television, “I never knew that chap could burst into tears in front of my wife and all those MPs.”

“Labour didn’t adapt the slogan of _Kinder Politics_ or whatever that was for nothing after they dumped Ed Miliband.” The same coworker who wished for Miliband to have remained as Labour leader remarked.

Philip, at that moment, could swear that he must be stuck in a room full of Ed Miliband fanboys. They could have said Yvette Cooper should have ran Labour, or Ed Balls – but they preferred Miliband. Yes, he did like that Ed Miliband chap too, but he’d rather see 10 Downing Street and the United Kingdom in the hands of his wife than in the hands of the Bacon Sandwich-eating Labourite who fell out of favor because his party suddenly wanted a hardcore socialist to rule them.

* * *

Right after PMQs, Jeremy Corbyn was met by a furious Liz Kendall and a bevy of other Blairite MPs. They were obviously not impressed with his cryfest inside the House of Commons.

“Tony Blair would never do this if he were still Labour leader!” One MP ranted, “What did we do to deserve this crying Sexpot Trot?” But hey, they’d rather have a war criminal than a crying Sexpot Trot, right?

“Oh shit, Liz is lashing at him.” Another MP said, alerting everyone else to pay attention to Liz Kendall who is now facing the Labour leader.

“Congratulations you _Sexpot Trot_! By crying at the PMQs, you just handed the Tories their victory in 2020!” Liz said with sheer irritation in her voice, followed by a slap on Jeremy’s face, “I hope you’re happy with your political demise. The Prime Minister must be laughing at you right now as we speak.”

“Liz Kendall for Labour Leader!” One of the Labour backbenchers shouted as she passed by the scene that was Liz Kendall slapping Jeremy Corbyn whose face is now as red as his party’s colors.

“Liz, you don’t understand!” Jeremy said as he rubbed the part of his face that was slapped by Liz, “For heaven’s sake, I cried because I was so overwhelmed that our Tory Prime Minister stopped having _such_ a cold heart for once!”

“Mr. Corbyn, I heard that!” Theresa shouted, nudging Jeremy as she passed by him, “Oh by the way, your snot is coming out of your nose.” She added as she handed him a handkerchief before disappearing among the crowd of MPs.

It turned out Jeremy Corbyn was crying once again, thanks to the heavy slap that Liz Kendall landed on his face. For good measure, another Blairite MP stepped forward and slapped Jeremy on the face, causing Jeremy to wince in pain and causing him to release more tears.

Liz and her bevy of Blairites MPs then walked out, leaving a teary Jeremy Corbyn using the Prime Minister’s handkerchief to wipe his tears (and his snot!). Luckily, John McDonnell had just come out of the men’s restroom and he went straight to Jeremy, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“You okay, Jeremy?” He asked as he leaned closer to him.

“I just got manhandled by the Blairites!” Jeremy replied as he turned his head to face his Shadow Treasury Secretary.

“What do you mean by that?” John asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this

“Liz Kendall and this one Blairite MP of hers just slapped me hard on the face.” Jeremy was sobbing once again, unable to grasp the fact that one of his Labour MPs managed to confront him like that, “They said I was going to make Labour lose the elections in 2020 because I cried at PMQs. We’re not going to lose, right?”

“Jeremy! If there’s one thing people are feeling about this right now, they are proud of you.” John said, “For once, you made the Prime Minister listen to you. You’re getting positive reactions, I mean look at this!” he added as he handed his phone over to Jeremy, with the Twitter app open.

The tweet from Owen Jones read:

_Labour has a victory today and it’s not even 2020 yet. He’s made the PM walk the talk and that is a feat in itself._

Another tweet from another Labour supporter read:

_Is it me or is 2017 undoing the mess that 2016 left? Jeremy Corbyn just made Theresa May adopt his constituent’s baby!_

And another tweet read:

_Congratulations to Jeremy Corbyn! I was never wrong to vote for him as Labour leader. He’s the only one who can stand up to the Tories._

_That should stop him from regretting what he just did at PMQs_ , John thought to himself as he watched Jeremy scroll down the Twitter feed in glee.

* * *

Theresa was seated on her couch in 10 Downing Street as she alternated between playing with Hilda and going through the paperwork in her Red Box. Before she knew it, Hilda crawled into the open Red Box that was set on top of the couch.

“Darling, Hilda’s in your Red Box.” Philip said as he emerged from the kitchen, making his way to the couch where his wife and baby settled. Hilda, meanwhile, started to bite the edges of the red box.

“I know.” Theresa said as she continued going through her paperwork, “I still can’t believe Jeremy Corbyn cried over that wee lass in the Red Box.” She added, referring to Hilda.

“My coworkers just said they wanted Ed Miliband back after that scene that Corbyn made at the PMQs!” Philip said, chuckling.

“Fiona just told me that my _Mayllenials_ – my young supporters, think that I’m miles better than that Justin Trudeau chap from Canada!” Theresa said with a chuckle, taking Hilda out of the Red Box and back into her arms afterwards, “Can you imagine that? Then again, I have more experience under my belt than that bloke.”

“Looks like our stay in 10 Downing Street is getting extended!” Philip was really excited at the prospect of it. Living in 10 Downing Street was such a blessing for him, or maybe that was just him starting to like his instant celebrity status as the Prime Minister’s consort.

“Did you hear that, Hilda? We’re staying longer here!” Theresa said to baby Hilda, who only responded to her with babbling, one that had an excited tone on it. She then kissed the baby on the cheeks and all of a sudden, the baby started sucking on her nose and it felt _ticklish_.

Hilda then stopped sucking and started to giggle and when Theresa got a glimpse of the baby’s mouth, she found that Hilda’s front tooth was starting to show. That explained why Hilda sucked her nose, and tried to bite the edges of the red box that she sat on before that.

“Well, looks like Hilda is getting her first tooth.” Theresa announced

“So that was why she’s been biting anything she comes across with recently.” Philip spoke, remembering that in the past few days, Hilda has been biting his or his wife’s fingers, or the surface of her crib, or the pillows, the blankets and basically any surface she would think of biting.

Theresa's phone vibrated and when she checked it, what she saw were notifications from the Twitter app. All of tweets that mentioned her, congratulating her for her performance at the Prime Minister's Questions. One read:

_Looks like @theresa_may just gave Justin Trudeau a run for his money with her crossing the floor to give the Opposition Leader a hug._

And another read

_Can't believe 2017 managed to warm up @theresa_may's heart today! If it were 2016 right now, this wouldn't have happened._

One more read

_What @theresa_may and @JeremyCorbyn did in PMQs oddly reminds me of Justin Trudeau and Rona Ambrose last year._

Scrolling down through the endless Tweets, this was the one that caught her eye the most and it was from Andrea Leadsom:

_The PMQs today have shown us that Prime Minister @theresa_may has done well as a mother to the United Kingdom._

"She'll never really get over equating running the country with Motherhood, isn't she?" Theresa thought loudly as she showed her husband that particular Tweet, "Maybe I should bring Hilda to our next Cabinet meeting, you know, just to see her reaction." Oh, she was going to take a piss with Andrea's endless references to motherhood. It's almost one year and she still hasn't stopped rubbing it in everyone's faces that motherhood makes people better politicians.

"Do take a video of her reaction!" Philip playfully suggested, "I bet she'd be gobsmacked, or delighted - or both!" and the husband and wife laughed, causing their baby to laugh along as well (even though she won't remember any of this until she grows older and her parents tell her of this moment).


	10. Mummy Dearest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain cabinet minister finds Theresa sexy ever since she's become a mother

“It’s been a fucking week since that Donald Trump bloke-“ Boris ranted

“You mean your twin brother?” Liz Truss playfully asked

“Liz, just because I was born in New York and just because I resemble him doesn’t mean he’s my brother.” Oh, Boris was now visibly pissed.

“Come on Boris, we all know you’d be damn happy if they ran a DNA test and it said you and Donald are related.” Justine Greening entered the office, laying her palm on the Foreign Secretary’s shoulder as she spoke.

“That bloke has been begging me to let him come here!” Boris was flooding with frustration, “For heaven’s sake, the Prime Minister doesn’t want him to. I’m having a hard time telling him that he can’t come over.”

“And what are you going to do then?” Andrea Leadsom asked as she walked behind where Boris was sitting, “Run to your mummy and tell her to tell Mr. Trump off?”

“Shut it, _Mummy Dearest_!” Boris piped up, “That _Manchild_ thinks I’m a Poundland version of him when he’s a Poundland version _of me_!” and just before anyone could utter a word, the door to the cabinet room opened again – revealing the Prime Minister wearing her baby on a sling.

Andrea was gobsmacked as she watched her boss, the woman she once made fun of for not being a mother, strutting into the room confidently while wearing her six month old baby. “Good morning, everyone!” Theresa said.

“G-good morning, Prime Minister.” Andrea said as she was taken aback. Gosh, it never occurred to her that Theresa looked so skillful juggling the baby and the United Kingdom. It’s only been six months since she had the baby but she seemed like she’s had years of experience behind her as a mother, “Y-your wee lass looks so lovely today.” She added, referring to Hilda, “And so do you, of course!”

“Oooh, who’s the cute little lass!” Liz cooed as she gave Hilda’s cheeks a squeeze, “Yes, you’re the cute lass!” and Hilda started giggling.

“Hello sweetie!” Justine said as she planted a kiss on Hilda’s forehead, eliciting a giggle from the baby, yet again, “You look so cute today!”

At this point, the entire cabinet was just gawking at how cute Hilda was that the Prime Minister herself had to break it out – and remind them that they have come together to the Cabinet Room to discuss important matters and not gawk on her baby.

* * *

“Prime Minister, Donald Trump won’t stop bugging me about wanting to come here to the United Kingdom. Even when I’ve told him what you told me that we can’t accommodate him, _HE JUST WON’T STOP!_ That bastard even had the audacity to call me while I was shagging my wife!”

“Too much information, Boris!” Philip Hammond piped up, “We didn’t need to know about that time Trump called you while you made love!”

“Boris, first of all, you need to exercise conviction.” Theresa said, referring to Boris’ inability to straight up say no to Donald Trump, “And secondly, stop giving out too much information. That’s why Michael Gove killed your political career.” Then Theresa aimed a knowing glare at Boris.

Boirs slinked down his seat and remained speechless for the rest of the meeting. However, it was not only Boris who remained speechless the entire meeting, there was also Andrea Leadsom. It was not the policies being discussed that left her speechless but rather, it was the Prime Minister herself that caused her to be speechless.

She found it unsettling that ever since the Prime Minister became a mother, she started finding her sexy. Especially when she comes round her office with the baby in her arms. _Andrea, get yourself together for heaven’s sake!_ , she thought to herself as she tried her best to focus on the cabinet meeting.

Theresa seemed to notice this because she started giving her knowing gazes every now and then. Andrea, realizing that she must have been noticed, tried so hard to avoid the Prime Minister’s gaze. At one point, Theresa even pointed on her own cheek when she gazed at Andrea – that was because she had noticed Andrea blush whenever she gazed at her.

Well, there was an hour down until the meeting ends. An hour more for Andrea to desperately conceal what she’s feeling.

* * *

The cabinet meeting had at last, been adjourned. Cabinet ministers were now filing out of the cabinet room and Andrea was in a desperate hurry to leave the cabinet room. She was armed with an excuse as well, just in case the Prime Minister would make her stay behind. She would tell her that she still had paperwork to go over – you know, the usual stuff that cabinet ministers would do.

“Mrs. Leadsom, mind if you stay behind a bit.”

And Andrea froze from her steps. Unsure of whether to flee from the cabinet room, state her excuse or stay behind. Theresa’s tone sounded more like an order than a request. She knew what would happen if she defied her – it would cost her like it cost her Conservative Party leadership bid.

“Y-yes, sure Prime Minister.” Andrea said as she turned around to face Theresa.

“Are you alright?” Theresa asked as she tried hard not to laugh at a blushing Andrea

“Y-yes, I’m definitely alright.” Andrea replied, “Just a bit shocked, that’s all.”

“I’ve noticed, you looked so flustered the entire time.” Theresa wasted no time being straight to the point about this. She’s noticed Andrea being flustered around her ever since she entered the cabinet room earlier on.

“D-do you really need to know why?” Andrea whined, “That is really none of your business.” And now, Andrea was trying her hardest to look calm. But she isn’t.

“I’m your boss. I am concerned. Of course I need to know.”

“I-It’s just that I realized I’ve started to find you sexy-”

“There’s no shame in that, Andrea. Half of the Parliament would probably agree with you.”

“-Ever since you became a mum.”

“Ha! I knew it.” And now, Theresa bursted laughing as Andrea was left gobsmacked

“For your information, I don’t have a _mummy kink_ or whatever your Mayllenials call it.” Andrea spoke as she tried to tug on her cardigan’s sleeves, “However, can I ask for a favor?”

“Anything for my Secretary of State for the Environment.” Theresa said with a genuine smile on her face

“I-I want to kiss you…” Andrea said, eliciting a weird look on Theresa’s face

“A-and the baby…on the forehead!” Andrea added. She was trying to make this as platonic as possible hence the need for her to kiss Hilda on the forehead too.

Then Theresa adjusted the baby sling, so that Hilda was now facing outwards, then she nodded her head – a signal that it was okay for Andrea to plant those kisses, “Well, what are you waiting for?” Theresa asks.

Without hesitation, Andrea jumps into the tide – planting a forehead kiss on Hilda first, then on Theresa. The kiss on the latter lasted much longer, with Andrea cupping the Prime Minister’s face, even. After what seemed like eternity, Andrea broke from the forehead kiss. Her face looking satisfied.

Unexpectedly, Theresa also cups Andrea’s face and returns the favor. The forehead kiss lasting just as long as the one that her Secretary of State for the Environment had left on her. “Now, we’re even.” Theresa remarked with a smile.

“Thank you so much, Prime Minister!” Andrea said as a smile radiated on her face.

“I don’t mind at all, _Mummy Dearest_!” Theresa said, half-mockingly. Now, she’s finally got back at Andrea Leadsom.

Oh yes, Andrea Leadsom, the _Mummy of the House of Commons_.

That’s what happens when you make a gaffe on a major interview about how you’d be a _great Prime Minister_ because you’re a mum.


	11. Convincing the Prime Minister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicola Sturgeon convinces Theresa May to adapt the Baby Box initiative nationwide

As Article 50’s activation was made in March of 2017, the meetings between the Scottish First Minister and the Prime Minister were becoming more frequent. This particular time, it was the First Minister who came to 10 Downing Street to see the Prime Minister.

With her own baby comfortably secured by a sling that she wears, Nicola Sturgeon laid down a sample of the Scottish Government’s Baby Box. A revolutionary item given to new mothers in Scotland starting in the year 2017 – which was the current year, of course.

“This was the baby box that the Scottish Government gave me when I gave birth to Andrew.” Nicola said as she laid down the Baby Box on the Prime Minister’s desk, “Quite a useful gem, am I right?”

Theresa nodded in agreement as she listened on to Nicola explaining, “Now, Prime Minister. This Baby Box contains all the essentials needed in an infant’s first few years in life. Nappies, milk, books, pillows, clothes, you name it!”

“And how is this supposed to help a post-Brexit United Kingdom?” Theresa asks as she tried to steady her hold on Hilda. At six months old, she moved quite a lot and thus, it was important for her mother (or anyone who holds her, really) to make sure that their grip on her is steady.

“The Leavers claim that if they take back control of the United Kingdom, social welfare, particularly strengthening the NHS budget will be prioritized.” Nicola explains, “The former has already happened but the latter? I don’t see it happening on the rest of the country yet – and so, my input on these Baby Boxes are therefore necessary.”

“That’s a fair enough explanation.” Theresa remarks, “Tell me, Nicola, what else does that miracle box of yours do?”

“Oh yes, I almost forgot.” Nicola said as she emptied the box of its contents, “Did I forget to mention that Baby Boxes also serve as makeshift cots.” And now, she placed Andrew into the box to prove that particular function of the Baby Box.

“Can it fit two babies?” Theresa beamed up.

“Why don’t we give it a try, then?” Nicola asked

Carefully, Theresa lowered Hilda into the box – placing the six month old baby just beside the First Minister’s three month-old. Surprisingly enough, the two babies fit snuggly into the box – giving Theresa the idea that giving one Baby Box for a mother who is to give birth to twins could be plausible. After all, the Tories needed to plan the spending carefully if they were to introduce the Baby Box to the rest of the United Kingdom.

The Prime Minister and the First Minister observed as their babies lay on the Baby Box. Hilda was now grabbing Andrew by the nose as Andrew tried to grasp on her cheeks.

“Ooooh, look at our wee babies!” Nicola endearingly said as she pointed at the two babies in the Baby Box. Now, Hilda was sucking on Andrew’s cheek. Andrew suddenly started to cry and then Theresa remembered, her daughter was already teething – of course Andrew would feel pain when Hilda sucks on his cheek.

Carefully, Theresa removed Hilda from the Baby Box, leaving Andrew behind (who was still crying). “You naughty lass,” she playfully told her baby, “how dare you bite the First Minister’s son!” she added as she softly pokes her on the chest. All Hilda did was giggle at her once more, baring her growing front tooth.

“Oh, so that’s what’s causing pain.” Nicola said as she saw Hilda’s open mouth, revealing her first milk tooth, “My…your wee lass sure is _growing so fast_!” then Nicola chuckled as she took Andrew out of the Baby Box to soothe him.

“She’s gone quite heavy.” Theresa said as she adjusted Hilda in her arms, “And quite squirmy at times.”

Nicola then leaned down to plant a kiss on Hilda’s cheek, only for Hilda to suck the First Minister’s cheek as well. Theresa tried her hardest to move Hilda away but Hilda won’t just stop latching on the First Minister’s cheek.

“Not to mention that she’s been biting a lot lately.” Theresa stated, “My red box, pillows, blankets, my nose,” Nicola laughed when Theresa had mentioned that Hilda has bitten her nose, “Philip’s shoulder, Andrew’s cheek, and now your cheek as well!”

“I-I’m completely fine, Prime Minister.” Nicola said as she tried to ease her cheek out of Hilda’s mouth, “Nothing to worry about.” She added, smiling (and completely oblivious to the slight pain from Hilda’s latching of her cheek).

“Well then, would you like to drop by the apartment?” This was a usual fixture in the last few meetings that Theresa and Nicola had. It was usually for a cup of tea over extended discussions on policies.

“I don’t mind at all.” And so, Nicola returned the contents of the Baby Box back (to the Baby Box, obviously) and with their babies in tow, she and the Prime Minister made their way to the 10 Downing Street Apartment.

* * *

Philip May had returned from work when he was suddenly met with his wife and the Scottish First Minister lounging in the living room. As if by instinct, Philip immediately rushed to his wife’s side, giving her a kiss on the cheek and then giving their daughter a kiss on the cheek as well.

“Hello there you wee lass!” Philip cooed, “Daddy misses you so much!”

“But you were only gone for a day!” Theresa quipped, much to the laughter of Nicola

“Good for you, you got to bring Hilda to work and if you don’t, you get to see her during your breaks.” Philip shot back, “Of course you wouldn’t feel the same way as I do.”

“Philip does have a point, Prime Minister.” Nicola added

“I was just kidding!” Theresa protests

“Here you go, sweetie.” Philip said as he offered a finger to Hilda, who immediately started to bite it, “I believe Theresa has told you, Hilda has been biting a lot recently.” He said, now turning to Nicola.

“I’ve heard.” Nicola replied, “Even my son and I aren’t spared.”

“The pediatrician says its normal.” Philip said, “It should be gone in a week or so, when the tooth has popped out completely. However, she’d obviously grow more teeth so she’d be biting a lot for a year.”

“Did you try giving her a teether?” Nicola asks

“Honestly, I haven’t thought of that.” Philip admits

“Well then,” Nicola says as she rummaged through the Baby Box, pulling the teether out afterwards, “This should do!”

“Thank you!” Philip said, receiving the teether. He then gives it to Hilda who finally stops biting his finger and pays attention to biting the teether instead.

“Right,” Theresa says, “Look after Hilda and Andrew for us, will you. Nicola and I have decided to cook up some food – she’s been begging me to impart to her my culinary skills. _Didn’t you_?” she then turned to Nicola.

“No I didn’t!” Nicola protests

“Oh, don’t mind her dear.” Theresa tells Philip, “She’s is in fact, so excited for it!”

Theresa then takes Andrew from Nicola’s arms, after which, she hands both her daughter and Nicola’s son to Philip – leaving the British First Gentleman with an _armful of baby_.

* * *

Nicola admitted to being a bad cook and true enough, it was showing as she helped the Prime Minister prepare lunch. The Prime Minister had decided that they were having “breakfast for lunch”. Quite unconventional for her, but she does practice that sometimes.

“Your bacon is still so raw that David Cameron wants to shag it!” Theresa shouted as she looked over to Nicola who was struggling to fry the bacon. Philip could not help but laugh at his wife’s witty remark on Nicola’s attempt at frying a bacon.

“I’m sorry, _Mummy_!” Nicola said as she used the fish slice to flip the bacon over. Theresa had decided that she was better off frying the bacon after messing up her first five attempts at frying a sunny side up egg.

“My…when will you ever learn…” Theresa says as she went back to frying the eggs

After Nicola managed to finish frying up the bacon (half of which appeared to be burnt), Theresa asked her to cook up the sausages next. At this point, it appeared that Theresa wasn’t really cooking but rather, taking the pleasure in seeing Nicola try so badly at cooking.

Nicola carefully cooked up one sausage after another, sometimes wincing when the a small portion of the cooking oil jumps up to her skin. All Theresa did was laugh at her whenever this happened. Nevertheless, Nicola still persevered at cooking (because she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of the Prime Minister and her husband).

“Well, how are we doing here?” Philip said as she entered the kitchen, with both babies still in his arms

“I’m quite fine.” Nicola says as she puts the last batch of sausages on the plate, “I’m _actually_ getting the hang of this!”

“Not quite!” Theresa pipes up, “She almost burnt the bacon!”

“Don’t be too hard on her now, dear.” Philip said as he walked behind his wife, “She’s just learning – and she’s learning quite fast for someone who confesses that she is awful at cooking.”

“Right, let me just get the pudding.” Theresa then headed for the oven to take out the fresh batch of Yorkshire puddings that she had just finished. They were made so well that they were so mouthwatering. After popping the puddings out of the mold, she placed it on the plate along with the sausage, eggs and bacon that Nicola had mostly prepared.

“Well, how did I do?” Nicola asked

Theresa then takes a piece of the bacon and tastes it. Followed by a piece of the sausage. Her lips curl into a smile but not quite. Just enough to say that she’s satisfied – but not so satisfied. She then offers a piece of bacon and a piece of the sausage to Philip, who eats them straight from her hand. Unlike Theresa though, Philip’s smile looked quite bigger. However, Nicola still had a lot to improve with her cooking.

“I wouldn’t say you did well but I wouldn’t say you did badly either.” Theresa replies, “I just hope no one is going to get food poisoning from this.”

“Actually, Nicola’s cooking is acceptable.” Philip says as he struggles to form a “thumbs up” while holding on to the two babies. The two babies then giggle, prompting Philip to say, “I think Hilda and Andrew here agree with me, don’t you two?”

Nicola then takes a piece of the bacon and sausage that she cooked, slowly chewing them and strongly hoping that she didn’t cook an abomination. Fortunately, a smile curls on her lips too, “Wow, I actually managed to make this edible!” she said, prompting Theresa and Philip to laugh at her.

"Oh, and by the way Nicola." Theresa said, "My government _might_ consider implementing your Baby Box initiative nationwide."

And that's how Nicola Sturgeon's morning in 10 Downing Street was made even better, aside from the fact that she managed not to mess up completely the first time she cooked.


	12. State Visits and Tank Races

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theresa May goes on a state visit to Canada and chaos (sort of) ensues in Scotland while she's out of the country.
> 
> (alternative title: "Ruth Davidson's Tank Race")

**Ottawa, Canada – October 2017**

Canada is already a month into fall – streets were littered by browned leaves falling off the trees. The air has become a bit more chilly than it did a couple of months back. Justin Trudeau was at the runway of the Ottawa International Airport with his wife and cabinet in tow. At that day, the British Prime Minister was expected to arrive for a state visit.

Waiting for what seemed to be hours was no problem for everyone there. Especially for Justin and Sophie who are already accustomed to standing in the middle of seemingly chilly weather - spending most of their life in Quebec prepared them well enough to be able to stand the cold weather that most people wouldn’t be able to withstand.

Standing at the runway and waiting for foreign dignitaries to arrive gave Justin the nostalgia of his childhood days. One spent with him accompanying his father to state visits. In those days, he wondered if Heads of Government and Heads of State of the countries they visited waited this long for his father’s arrival. He remembered getting off the plane with his father and together with him, he greeted the crowds at the airport that met them. Then the Head of Government or State of the country they come to would usually not just pose for pictures with his father, but with him as well. Some of these heads of state would even tell him that he might just grow up to be the next Prime Minister of Canada (and boy, they were right!).

Their wait was finally over when they spotted a plane belonging to the British Government taxiing towards the spot of the runway where Canadian dignitaries and the red carpet stood. A small part of Justin felt unsettled – something about the British Prime Minister intimidated him. Sophie noticed that her husband was starting to feel unsettled as she went on to give him knowing glares. The one that said, _for heaven’s sake Justin, she’s not going to kill you!_

Of course, one may say that Justin’s unsettlement towards the British Prime Minister is irrational but unfortunately, Justin Trudeau is not the only world leader who _might_ run back to his mummy’s arms at the sight of the British Prime Minister. Many other world leaders seemed to feel that way. Apparently, even the US President felt that way despite his persistent attempts to meet up with the British Prime Minister.

The plane’s door opened, unveiling the British Prime Minister herself, with an infant on her arms, not older than ten months – behind her was her husband. This gave Justin memories of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s visit to Canada where they brought their children along. Unlike Will and Kate (as they are colloquially called), this British dignitary couple before his eyes actually have work ethic and a sense of responsibility – two qualities that Will and Kate seemed to lack.

And unlike Will and Kate, Justin had observed, the British Prime Minister and her husband did not see the need to swamp their daughter with over-the-top dresses (despite the British Prime Minister herself being known to wear eye-catching clothing). Clearly a manifestation that they do not see their child as merely an accessory to be flaunted to the press.

The British Prime Minister was clad in a deep red body contouring dress paired up with a black suede coat; She has also worn a pair of black stockings, with the look completed by a pair of kitten heels of the same color. Her husband followed right behind, clad in a deep red top underneath his black coat as well. Their daughter, who rested in her mother’s arms, was wrapped by a black coat.

“Prime Minister May, welcome to Canada!” Justin said as he extended his hand for his British counterpart to shake

Theresa adjusted her hold on Hilda, shaking her Canadian counterpart’s hand afterwards, “It is a pleasure to finally make it to this country, Prime Minister Trudeau!” she said. This, elicited a slight smile on Justin Trudeau – not because Justin is uninterested but because he figured out it would be a bad idea to look overenthusiastic in front of her.

“So, Prime Minister. Isn’t it marvelous? Here we are, some thirty years later – A woman Prime Minister for the UK and a Trudeau Prime Minister for Canada!” Justin said as he and Theresa walked along. The Canadian Prime Minister treaded carefully, he was briefed that Theresa was not the one to have small talk with but being the risk taker he is, he decided to have small talk anyway – but took care to it to make it sound serious.

“Marvelous, indeed.” Theresa wasn’t the kind who’d engage with small talk with her colleagues and counterparts, however, she let this one pass. She did notice Justin putting clear effort not to sound so superficial and she appreciated it, “A coincidence, they would call it. Pity that the Americans got a reality TV show host who is nowhere as good as Ronald Raegan.” She added.

That of course, made Justin laugh. He never expected Theresa to insult Donald Trump in such a subtle way. In fact, he thought Theresa would 100% tolerate Trump when Trump had won. Apparently, that wasn’t the case.

* * *

**Edinburgh, Scotland**

Liz Kendall drove a tank towards the Bute House, the residence of the Scottish First Minister. Liz was very determined to beat a certain Scottish Tory. When she had successfully parked her tank (which she was able to borrow at a military base somewhere in Scotland thanks to a good friend she knew there), she climbed up to the hatch, opening it up, before emerging out of the tank.

Opposite her was another tank, and a butch figure standing on top of it, “The weather here sure is nice, eh?” the figure asks. Liz puts her attention on the figure, revealed to be Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives.

“Such a nice weather to wipe your Tory ass out.” Liz muttered as she looked up at the skies. It was a bit dark, with the sun barely peeping out. It was already fall, after all.

“You brought this upon yourself, Kendall.” Ruth said as she turned around to face the Blairite MP who was just as equally skilled as her in warfare, or so she has been told.

“Just so that you’d know, I told my dear friend at a military base here that repairs for this tank will be billed to you.” Liz said with a mischievous smile, “I’m glad that she’s obliged to my request.”

“Look Kendall. I’m still going to end you anyway.” And with that, Ruth Davidson entered through the hatch of her tank – Liz also did the same, returning into her tank.

When they had settled in their respective tanks, they started driving their tanks – taking care to hit each other’s tanks. They had agreed before this that whoever has the most damaged tank would have to donate to the competing political party on the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections.

Nicola Sturgeon stirred on her bed as noises coming from the tanks hitting each other outside continued. When she had finally opened her eyes, she checked the clock – it was six in the morning. _Who in the right mind would make so much noise at six in the morning?_ , she asked herself as she slowly got up the bed, looking back at her husband who surprisingly, slept soundly despite all the noise from outside.

Peering out of the window, Nicola saw two tanks chasing each other – crashing on each other from time to time. She wondered who sent those tanks in front of the Bute House and why the people driving the tanks saw the need to duke it out in front of her residence.

Suddenly, a cry of a baby was heard, prompting Peter Murrell out of his slumber. Noticing that Nicola was already awake and preoccupied with whatever was going outside, he offered to get the baby for her. A short walk to the hallway, turning to the room on the right, Peter took a crying Andrew out of his crib – soothing him as he made his way back to the master’s bedroom.

“Oh my god, Peter!” Nicola shouted from the window, “You have to look at this!” and now, she was pointing out of the window where one could see Liz Kendall and Ruth Davidson standing on top of their tanks, bickering.

“Well, do you want me to call the police? The military?” Peter asked

“I don’t think that’s necessary yet.” Nicola said as she took Andrew from Peter’s arms, “Hand me over my phone, will you?” and Peter obeyed dutifully, fetching his wife’s phone from the side table. After which, he handed it over to Nicola who adjusted Andrew on her arms so that she could be able to carry him while tweeting at the same time.

At this point, Ruth and Liz were already off their tanks and on the ground, engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Ruth was throwing punches at Liz as Liz smoothly evaded her. Liz, being petite, could easily evade Ruth.

“What are you going to do now, you filthy Tory?” Liz taunted, “Your _Mummy_ is in Canada while I can have Kezia come over to help me in an instant in one phone call!” By Mummy, of course, Liz was referring to the Prime Minister.

“I can perfectly take care of you myself!” Ruth said as she proceeded to tackle Liz, “Don’t you ever think that you can beat me so easily. Too bad your _Daddy_ isn’t here to save you!” By Daddy, Ruth was referring to Tony Blair, whom Liz has great fondness of.

Liz struggled to dial Kezia’s number and she put the phone on loudspeaker just in case Ruth renders her unable to continue holding her phone.

“Hello, this is Kezia Dugdale!”

“Damn it Kezia! Your Scottish Tory friend here is trying to kill me!” Liz said frantically

“Oi, don’t you ever think of coming here, Dugdale!” Ruth threatened, “Or your _wee friend_ here is going to be crushed.” She added as she applied pressure on Liz’s stomach using her knee.

“Oh come on Ruth, leave her alone!” Kezia said to Ruth, laughing afterwards, “Leave the poor English lass alone!”

“She brought this upon herself!” Ruth shouted

“No I didn’t!” Liz piped back, “You came up to me at a pub in Glasgow and set me up to this.”

“What exactly is happening here?” Kezia could not help but ask

“Ruth Davidson challenged me to a tank race.” Liz said as she struggled to break free from Ruth’s hold, “And if I won, she was going to donate to the Scottish Labour Party. If I lost, I donate to her party.”

“Well then, I appreciate your effort, Liz!” Kezia said, “Now beat her up to shreds! Come on you English lass!”

Liz regained strength and grabbed Ruth, pushing her down the ground and eventually sitting on top of her. She took extra care to apply pressure on Ruth using her petite but strong butt. To Liz’s horror, she found a lot of people watching them – apparently, she and Ruth were too busy fighting not to notice that people were already watching them.

“Mummy, is Miss Dugdale going to get more money?” A child of a Scottish Labour supporter asked

“Oh yes, she will.” The child’s mother answers

Just in time, Nicola came out from the front door of the Bute House, clad in a robe with wee Andrew in her arms. Peter followed behind her, “Well, is everybody enjoying the show?” Nicola shouts.

A chorus of “YES” was heard. With that, Nicola felt impressed. Her efforts from livetweeting the tank race bore fruit – in the form of people congregating outside the Bute House to watch Liz and Ruth duke it out over which one of them gets to donate to the other’s party.

“Did you send all these people here?” Ruth Davidson asks

“I may have sent them all here.” Nicola replies, “By the way, Kezia says you better pay up to her!”

“Ha!” Liz shouted, “Even the First Minister of Scotland thinks I won.”

“Why?” Ruth groaned

“Maybe you and your _wee Labourite friend_ here should have thought twice before waking me up at 6 am like that!” Nicola shouted

“Wait, you mean I’m not off the hook?” Liz asks

“Not at all.” Nicola replies. Ruth felt that this wasn’t over yet so she decided to start storming over Nicola, not before Liz pulls her back.

“Oh dear…” Peter quips as he and Nicola go about face and back into the Bute House.

* * *

“Ruth Elizabeth Davidson, what in the bloody hell have you done?” Theresa growled angrily on the phone as news footage of the tank race in front of the Bute House came on TV.

“Trust me Prime Minister, it was harmless!” came Ruth’s response

“Harmless? Really Davidson?” Theresa asked, “The news of this tank race you and that Liz Kendall lass did has reached Canada. Does that still sound harmless to you?”

“Well, you do have a point.” Ruth said, with a tone of defeat in her voice, “However, Liz Kendall took the challenge of a tank race. If she had declined my challenge, this would _never happen_. Trust me Prime Minister, I did not coerce her into doing this.”

“In case you missed it, you and Liz are now under investigation!”

“Can’t we just settle this? Can’t Liz and I just pay off the damages and call this a day?”

“Well excuse me, you and Liz just damaged government property, _in front_ of a government property. An investigation is very much in order.”

“W-well then Prime Minister. I’ll face the investigation.” Was all that Ruth could say. Oh, Ruth was so gobsmacked right now. That harmless tank race turned out to be its complete opposite – not to mention that many other countries knew of it already.


	13. Of Baby Lifting and Police Interrogations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin Trudeau shows off his baby-lifting skills to the British Prime Minister while Ruth and Liz end up getting interrogated by the police over the tank race

Besides the minor inconvenience that was Ruth Davidson and Liz Kendall’s tank race gone wrong, the British Prime Minister’s first day in Canada was going rather well. At the Canadian House of Commons, she received the welcome honors given to visiting heads of government (or heads of state). Of course, a part of that was for her to make a short speech to everyone in the chamber.

“I am very grateful and honored to be present here today.” The British Prime Minister said, “A year into my term as Prime Minister and I have finally paid a state visit to one of the countries closest to us. I do believe an apology is in order due to the fact that I did a state visit to the United States first, before coming here.” And she giggled after making that cheeky apology for prioritizing the United States over Canada – that, of course, elicited laughter from the chamber as well.

“I do assure you that the special relationship between the United Kingdom and Canada remains,” she continued, “Canada will always have a place in the Global Britain – as one of our closest partners and as a Commonwealth Nation. Once again, I thank the Prime Minister and the Canadian people for receiving me gracefully on this state visit.”

When her speech ended, the MPs who were in the chamber as well as the people at the viewing gallery gave her a round of applause. One that said, _it’s about damn time you focus on Canada!_ Before being led to the viewing gallery, the Prime Minister of Canada shook her hand – as it was customary. Although, the British Prime Minister noticed, his grip was quite tight, as if he’s known her for so long. Apparently, she was briefed, prior to the trip, Justin Trudeau acting so close to people he’s just met was probably just a result of his being a French Canadian.

* * *

“Mr. Speaker, I believe that the Prime Minister’s approach on dealing with President Trump over the issue of immigration is **_uncalled_** for.” Lisa Raitt, the Leader of the Opposition said, “While Canada, as a partner of the United States, has the right to suggest to the said country when it comes to matters like immigration – we **_do not_** have the right to impose our suggestions to them. That, everyone, is what the Prime Minister has done!”

“Mr. Prime Minister!” Geoff Regan called out

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker.” Justin Trudeau proceeded, “The Leader of the Opposition just said that Canada is the partner of the United States. My approach to President Trump was only necessary given that we do have **_a special relationship_** with the United States – meaning, we do look out for them and call them out when necessary.”

At the viewer’s gallery of the Canadian House of Commons sat the British Prime Minister and her husband, with their ten month-old daughter in tow. Earlier that day, they received the welcome honors to the Canadian House of Commons and she had to make a short speech. Now, she was watching her Canadian counterparts argue.

“Mr. Trudeau tends to butt into things a lot, you know.” Philip commented

“Well, what do you expect from a Liberal, dear?” Theresa asked, “At least he’s not as _persuasive_ as Jeremy Corbyn.” And boy, Theresa does remember how persuasive her Labour counterpart could get – and that was partly the reason why she is now a mother to the ten month-old that rests on her lap. And, for some reason, she blushed at the thought of how persuasive Jeremy Corbyn is. Like what else can he possibly persuade her into doing?

“Not to mention, that Canadian chap does love to deflect, doesn’t he?” Philip remarked. Since they started to witness the proceedings that was the Question Period, he could not help but be nitpicky over Justin Trudeau every five minutes.

“He is infamous for that, dear.” Theresa said as she adjusted Hilda on her lap. Surprisingly enough, Hilda wasn’t squirming or crying at this point, despite Justin Trudeau and Lisa Raitt clearly being in an intense argument.

“I bet the Canadians would replace him with Lisa Raitt in a heartbeat!” Philip remarked. It was true, since Rona Ambrose ended her term as Leader of the Opposition, now, people wanted Lisa Raitt to be Prime Minister. Simply because Justin Trudeau wasn’t good enough for them already.

* * *

At the end of Question Period, Justin Trudeau personally went up to the viewing gallery to see how his distinguished guests were doing. There, he found the British Prime Minister and her husband playing with their baby.

“Who’s my beautiful wee lass?” Theresa asked her baby, “Yes, that’s you!” and she poked her finger on the baby’s nose, leading the baby to giggle. Philip then proceeded to place a kiss on the baby’s cheek.

“If you don’t mind, Mrs. Prime Minister…” Justin said, trying his best not to sound intrusive to the moment between parents and the baby, “Could I lift your baby?”

All of a sudden, Theresa remembered those articles she read – of the Canadian Prime Minister lifting babies with one hand on the campaign trail. She could not exactly figure out what makes it so appealing – wouldn’t it hurt the babies? Okay, maybe the babies wouldn’t get hurt, but isn’t it **_unbecoming_** for Prime Ministers to borrow random people’s babies and lift them with one hand?

“If our baby falls off, it’s going to be the end of British-Canadian relations!” Philip quipped playfully

“But seriously, hurt our darling Hilda and there will be _hell to pay_.” Theresa said as she protectively held Hilda close to her chest. However, Hilda was now squirming.

“I think she wants me to lift her.” Justin remarked as he started to make faces to the baby

“I think she’s _afraid_ of being lifted, _Justin_.” Theresa piped back. She rarely referred her colleagues or counterparts by their first name unless she is telling them off. The only other counterpart of hers to receive this treatment was Donald Trump – but that one was from pure rage.

“Come on, Prime Minister,” Justin pleaded, “I’ll be very careful of her.”

“Come on dear, let him lift our baby.” Philip pleaded, his beady eyes locking to his wife’s.

For a moment, Theresa gazed at Hilda, a gaze that was of concern. She was not quite sure whether having Justin Trudeau lift her baby with one hand was a good idea. On the other hand, a picture of Justin Trudeau lifting her baby with one hand would be a great addition to her keepsakes.

She still had a bit of reluctance in her but Theresa eventually handed Hilda to Justin – hoping and praying that the Canadian Prime Minister wouldn’t drop her in the process. Ever since she and Philip had Hilda, they have been _very_ protective towards her.

“Now, babies of this age aren’t obviously capable of standing up yet,” Justin explained as he carefully maneuvered Hilda into an upright position, “But…they desperately want to!” and now, Justin softly twisted Hilda’s ankles as he held her up. Hilda seemed to be very excited.

After a few tries, Justin was able to hold Hilda up with one hand. Theresa could not help but look in awe – she was more than convinced that Justin Trudeau does have a talent at lifting babies with one hand. Being the stage mother that she is, she took out her phone and took a picture of her Canadian counterpart holding her baby up with a single hand. Theresa found her daughter giggling as Justin Trudeau kept her lifted in an upright position with one hand. Quite surprising really, that her baby isn’t afraid of Justin Trudeau.

“See, that wasn’t so bad!” Justin said as he brought Hilda down after her mother had taken a picture of her. Hilda was now giggling as Justin held her close to his chest. It seemed like the British Prime Minister’s daughter liked Justin.

“I always thought you were such a reckless father, to be quite frank.” Theresa reacted as she took Hilda from Justin, “And I think I’ve been proven wrong. Or at least until you take me to Rideau Cottage later in the day.” Rideau Cottage was the temporary residence of the Prime Minister of Canada as 24 Sussex was undergoing renovations.

“You will see that I am perfectly capable of raising children!” Justin was in all of his confident glory this time because he managed to prove his British counterpart wrong about her fears that he’d drop her baby, “Never, have I ever, dropped a baby while lifting them with a single hand. I’ll have you know.” And then he sashayed out of the viewing room like a Miss Universe candidate returning to the backstage.

“What a flamboyant chap!” A bewildered Philip reacted

“Just like his father!” Theresa added

* * *

**_Edinburgh, Scotland_ **

Ruth Davidson and Liz Kendall found themselves in the interrogation room of a police station in Edinburgh. Quite frankly, this was not how they imagined for this day to turn out to be. Apparently, that tank race they did in front of the Bute House was illegal – and it didn’t help that Liz’s friend from the military wouldn’t answer her calls at a time when she desperately needed to be bailed out.

“Thanks a lot, Davidson!” A distressed Liz said, “Now we’re potentially in big legal trouble here!”

“You could have declined my challenge for a tank race!” Ruth said as she leaned back to the chair, “But since you’re so desperate about helping Kezia win the next Scottish Parliament elections…”

“I hope a wild haggis mauls you in your sleep!” Liz shouted

“For your information, English lass!” Ruth said, “There is _no such thing_ as a wild haggis. It’s something we tell American tourists to mess with them!”

Liz then pouted when Ruth Davidson effectively destroyed her childhood. All her life, she thought that wild haggis was a thing and when she came to Scotland for the first time, she attempted to join a wild haggis hunt. It didn’t help that the tourist guides she met that time would assert that wild haggi exists.

“Ms. Davidson, Ms. Kendall.” A police officer said as she sat down on the opposite end of the table that separated her and the rogue politicians, “Do you know why you are here today?”

“Apparently tank races are illegal here.” Ruth said as she made eye contact with the police officer

“But we didn’t kill anybody!” Liz insisted, hoping that the police would let her off the hook (oh she wanted to be out here!)

“According to our findings, Ms. Kendall brought a tank stolen from a military base.”

“It wasn’t stolen, ma’am!” Liz protested, “I _borrowed_ it. I have contacts from where that tank comes from and I promised to return it to them but then Ruth Davidson here-“

“Oh stop blaming me, Liz!” Ruth shot back, “If you had just declined my challenge to a tank race when we met at that pub!”

“It’s Nicola Sturgeon’s fault for calling the police anyway!” Liz replied, “This is why Kezia should have been First Minister of Scotland. We wouldn’t be interrogated by the police right now if Kezia were running Scotland!”

“Ladies!” The police officer called out, “Now, if you just coherently tell me what or who started this tank race, we could wrap up this interrogation as soon as possible!” It is going to be a long day for that poor police officer, perhaps.


	14. Warmth on a chilly Canadian fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Trudeaus invite the Mays over for dinner at the Rideau Cottage as part of the hospitality that they have given them for their Canadian State Visit

**_Rideau Cottage – Ottawa, Canada_ **

“So here’s our wee lass, having her first bite of Poutine.” Philip said as he recorded a video of his wife feeding their daughter a bit of the poutine that they were being served for dinner on their first night in Canada.

“Oh…she wants more!” Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau was heard saying at the background as Hilda tried to reach out for more Poutine that was on her mother’s plate.

“Tu l'aimes, chérie?” Philip asked Hilda as he brought his phone closer to her while recording the video. Philip could speak a bit of French, owning up to the fact that he grew up being exposed to the language by his mother (and Hilda’s grandmother) who made a living as a French teacher. At this point, Philip just wanted to score some brownie points with the Trudeaus. That’s why he saw the need to talk to the baby in French at this particular time.

With a fork, Theresa took a piece of the potato fries that made up the poutine and fed it to Hilda. Hilda was more than excited to grasp on that piece of poutine off the fork, and she tried her best to take a bite. Her biting looking more like sucking since she’s just started to grow her teeth and her teeth were still quite small.

“My daughter sure is growing fast!” Theresa remarked as she watched Hilda finish up the piece of poutine that she’s been eating, “Only ten months ago, she was a toothless baby who subsists merely on milk and now…she’s just had her first bite of poutine!”

“I have to guess that’s the first solid food you’ve attempted to feed her?” A curious Sophie asked

“Indeed.” Was the response of the British Prime Minister

“You know, Sophie and I would gladly take your family to Quebec the next time you come back!” Justin said, “It’s the birthplace of Poutine and the best Poutine comes from that part of Canada!”

“Hilda would love it!” Sophie added. She’s starting to imagine a slightly older Hilda being Poutine obsessed. For someone who isn’t Canadian, Hilda seemed to love poutine so much that one can actually see her grin as she finished up the piece of the potato fry from the poutine that was given to her.

* * *

As Theresa and Philip continued to talk to Sophie and Justin, the Trudeau kids decided to borrow Hilda. They were after all, so fond of her, ever since the British Prime Minister and his family set foot in the Rideau Cottage for dinner.

“Oh, aren’t you the cutest?” Ella-Grace asked as she pinched Hilda’s cheek

“Ooooh! Can we keep her?” was Xavier’s question because honestly, they could use another sister – especially after he and his siblings would overhear their parents musing about wanting to have another daughter.

“But she’s the British Prime Minister’s daughter!” Ella-Grace said, “I don’t think she’d appreciate if we took her only baby.” Ella-Grace was very aware of the fact that it took so long for the British Prime Minister to have her own child. She learned of it from newspaper articles that covered the British Prime Minister’s state visit to Canada.

“Oh, sorry.” Xavier said, his lips forming into a frown.

“Don’t worry, they might come back here again.” Ella-Grace said, “Or, papa would take us to the United Kingdom when he does a state visit.”

And Xavier lit up with a smile with what Ella-Grace said. Hilda was giggling as well, too – so was Hadrien who was following them behind. This time around, Hadrien sat in front of Hilda, squeezing her cheeks in so many directions. All Hilda could do was babble, as if to tell him to stop squeezing her cheeks so much.

“I think he likes her!” Xavier said as he watched Hadrien play with Hilda. When Hadrien had finished squeezing Hilda on the cheeks, this time, Hilda crawled straight to Hadrien and tried to grab his cheeks as well.

“Hilda stop!” Hadrien said in between giggles as Hilda continued to pinch his cheeks lightly. All Xavier and Ella-Grace did was watch as Hadrien dealt with being pinched by Hilda.

Meanwhile at the dining room, Theresa and Philip were sharing with the Trudeaus on how it felt like for them to become first-time parents after thirty years of marriage. Clearly, it was a wild journey for the both of them – none of them having expected to be at this situation as their marriage progressed.

“My counterpart from the other side of the bench got me into this.” Theresa said as she took a sip of red wine, “He seemed to have thought I was a hypocrite for wanting to put a limit on abortions yet refusing to help anyone affected by such limit. Oh, he was so wrong!”

“Okay then…” Justin reacted. Personally, he still thinks Theresa should have been more liberal in policies regarding abortion. Then again, he can’t really do much to convince her to do so because one, her political orientation was different from his and two, even if they had more or less the same political orientation, it was hard to change her mind. She stands firm with what she stands for.

“Mr. Corbyn called me over during Christmas day and said a constituent wanted to put her newborn up for adoption.” Theresa continued, “According to him, pro-life sidewalk counselors got her to consider that instead of aborting the baby. While I was thankful to finally have the opportunity to adopt a child coming from such circumstances, I didn’t expect it to come that quickly. That was just a couple of months after I promised Mr. Corbyn and the United Kingdom that I would grab such opportunity if it was given to me.”

“Prime Minister, I’m just concerned,” Sophie said, “Are you sure you did not adopt Hilda to make a political statement?” Sophie knew that adopting children for that reason wasn’t exactly a good reason – it’s how people like Madonna and Angelina Jolie got scrutinized for adopting African children after coming to an African nation for outreach. Or how Jessa Seewald and her husband considered wanting to adopt a child in Central America after going on a mission trip there.

“Of course not!” Theresa quickly said, “Sure, the reasons may seem political but Philip and I have been wanting a child of our own for decades. Even through adoption. It’s just that prior to last year, we never found the chance and the time to do so – due to the fact that he and I were so invested in getting up the career ladder even before the years following the diagnosis of my infertility.”

“It’s such a shame that work-life balance never existed in your day.” Justin commented, “Sophie and I, now, we come from a different generation from yours. We’re from a generation that gave birth to work-life balance and that’s how we managed to have three children even as we tried to nurture our own careers.”

“You two are fortunate in that case.” Philip said, “Theresa and I are thankful that she became Prime Minister because that somehow opened the door to parenthood for us. Hilda really means a lot to us and we do love her so dearly – whether her mum would still remain Prime Minister or not.” Because surely, only God knows whether Theresa was going to stand for re-election as Prime Minister in the General Elections of 2020.

* * *

**_7 Rideau Gate - Ottawa, Canada_ **

As guests of the Prime Minister, Theresa and Philip May stayed at the 7 Rideau Gate, the guest house for distinguished visitors. This was the first time they were billeted at a guest house for a state visit. The US State Visit? She preferred to stay at a hotel.

Theresa sometimes felt that Justin must have gone to great lengths just to ensure that she was going to stay in the guest house and not in some five star hotel elsewhere in Ottawa. Possibly to show Donald Trump that the special relationship between Canada and the UK will always be stronger, for as long as Canada remains in the Commonwealth.

Honestly, she finds that idea endearing. Justin Trudeau being overly protective of her – politically and perhaps, personally. She noticed that he might exhibit such tendency because of how he got out of the way to invite her over to dinner earlier. Because of that time he personally visited her at the House of Commons gallery after Question Period.

And of course, because he keeps blushing like an idiot every time he comes across her.

As to whether she reciprocates his efforts, even so slightly? Only the trade deals and the press conference they’d have on the last day _might_ tell.

“Listen here little lass,” Philip said as he held Hilda close to his chest while he sat up against the headboard of the bed, “Your mummy and I love you _so much_ , no matter what Mr. Trudeau and his wife assume. Even when your mummy is no longer Prime Minister, we will still love you so much.”

Then Hilda simply giggled, not having a clue to what his father is alluding to. Then again, she’s only a baby – but it was important to let her feel that she’ll be loved even when she grows older and no matter what happens to the career of her mother.

“Oh Hilda sweetie, mummy will never abandon you!” Theresa said, kissing Hilda on both of her cheeks afterwards. Appreciating her mother’s affection, Hilda wrapped her little arms around her mother’s neck. Theresa knew what this meant – Hilda wanted her mummy to cuddle her.

And cuddle her, she did.

Then Theresa’s phone, that rested on top of the side table rang.

“Philip dear, will you get that for me.” And Philip, being the dutiful husband that he is, reached out for the side table for his wife’s phone as his wife settled beside him, with Hilda in her arms, “Oh, and put it on loudspeaker. My hands are full!” she added, referring to the fact that Hilda wouldn’t be leaving her arms anytime soon.

“Thanks a lot Prime Minister! I was stuck with this Labour lass at a police station for what, almost the entire day!” An angry Ruth Davidson said on the other line, “I told you I was willing to pay for the damages but why must you insist that I be investigated. Can’t you just investigate the Labour lass and let me pay for damages.” She added, referring to Liz Kendall as the Labour lass.

“Oh Ruthy.” Theresa said in a somewhat endearing tone, “How many times have I told you that _you destroyed government property in a government property_. Of course an investigation is in line.”

“Oh yeah, because you were once Home Secretary.” Ruth said, “Of course that’s your first reaction to this incident – _oh great, let’s have them investigated by the police_! Well you better be proud of me, I cooperated in the investigation. Meanwhile, that Liz Kendall lass is trying so hard to screw up the investigation.”

“What do you mean Liz Kendall is trying to screw up the investigation?”

“Every time I explain to the police the details of the tank race, she keeps interrupting. She keeps making it look like I am the only person responsible for this mess – when she’s also played a part.”

“Look Ruthy, they’ve finished interrogating you. You admitted that you had fault. That’s my only concern. As for Liz Kendall, let Jeremy Corbyn worry about her, eh?”

“Right, Prime Minister.” Ruth replied, “Oh, by the way. How is Canada? Has the Prime Minister flirted at you yet?”

“You bet! He blushes like an idiot in my presence. Philip feels appalled.” Theresa spoke, “Don’t you, Philip?”

“Oh, that bloke will never learn – my wife only likes conservatives.” Philip said, “Conservatives named Philip May.” Oh, he was being cheeky alright. Being the proud husband that he is!

“And I believe you brought Hilda along?”

“Oh yes, my wee lass is here.” Theresa replied, “Will you say hi to Auntie Ruthy, Hilda.” And all Hilda did was babble, as usual. Nevertheless, Ruth knew the baby was acknowledging her presence on the other line.

“Did Mr. Trudeau’s children get along with her well?” Ruth asked, attempting to turn the conversation into a light-hearted one.

“Oh, they surely did.” She’d remembered what happened earlier, whenever she tried to take a peek of the living room from time to time, she saw how the Trudeau children fondly treated Hilda.

“I shouldn’t be holding you up any longer,” Ruth said, “But you’d probably head to bed soon and I’ve still got some unfinished business. Goodbye then?”

“Goodbye Ruth.”

Then the call ended and it was just the three of them again in the master’s bedroom of 7 Rideau Gate. Philip endearingly looked at his wife, who was dressed in a satin nightgown. There she was, trying to cuddle their daughter to sleep. Theresa caught his eye – and looked at him, the investment banker, her dear husband, clad in an old shirt and his pyjamas. A knowing smirk formed on her lips, one that said “admit it sweetie, you find me gorgeous.”

And that was their first night in Canada. Though the air from the fall was chilly, the lovely couple found warmth amongst each other – and gave warmth to the little lass that made their bond stronger.


	15. The Lovebirds of Gatineau Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin Trudeau takes the Mays to Gatineau Park on their last day in Canada

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have decided to post this chapter today (instead of Saturday/Sunday as I usually do) to commemorate Valentines Day. This one's especially for all the Philip/Theresa fans out there! Most of all, I'm wishing all the readers of this fic a Happy Valentines Day!

Philip was at bliss in his sleep until he felt nibbling from both sides of his cheeks. Slowly, he opened his eyes and was met by the glare of the Canadian Fall sunlight. As his vision cleared a bit – but not absolutely clear (as he would still need to put his glasses on to see things absolutely clearly) – he saw his daughter and his wife on the corner of his eyes.

Turning his head to the left, he has established that his daughter has nibbled his left cheek. Turning to the right, his wife did the exact same thing.

“Why are you two eating daddy’s cheeks?” He asked in a groggy yet cheeky tone as he reached out for his glasses from the side table.

“Why, we were just trying to wake you up!” Theresa said as her fingers ran through her husband’s hair

Automatically, Philip pulled Theresa and Hilda close to him by putting each of his hand behind their backs, “This is such an amazing way to wake up, eh?” he said, “Me, with my girls!”

Hilda continued to suckle on her father’s cheeks as Theresa gave Philip a good morning kiss, “I hope you slept well, dear.” She told him. The night before, Hilda had been waking up in odd times and at one point, she needed a diaper change. Owning up to the fact that they were such busy parents, Hilda’s sleeping pattern hasn’t really settled.

“How could I not?” Philip asked. Yes, he did wake up several times to look after the baby when she would wake up – but it was all worth it, “As long as you two are with me, I will always be sleeping well!”

Theresa then rolled over so that she was now sitting on top of her husband and she placed her hands on his chest and gave him that sultry glare, “The right honourable lady says that you owe her a good morning kiss.” And Philip knew what exactly she meant and adjusted himself so that now, he was sitting on the bed as well, his back against the headboard.

Philip did what was expected of him and wrapped his arms around her neck, engulfing her in a deep and passionate kiss. Soon, Philip’s hand found its way to the hem of her nightgown – his hands snaking underneath the nightgown. As the kiss grew deeper, his hands found itself playing with her breasts.

They were so passionately into it that they haven’t realized that Hilda tried to wiggle herself in between them. Being the wee baby that she is, Hilda started to tug on her mother’s nightgown, hoping to get her attention. When she realized that didn’t work, she tried to tug her father’s shirt this time. Still, her parents weren’t paying attention to her. This time, she tried to bite her father’s hand that was still on her mother’s shoulder.

Which led to Philip wincing in pain because for a ten month old, Hilda’s bites can be quite painful. Owning to the fact that she’s got a few teeth already. All Hilda did was flash a grin on her father when he had finished wincing in pain. Hilda’s job was done. She was able to get one of her parents’ attention.

“Oh, you naughty little lass!” Theresa said as she softly poked Hilda by the nose, “You couldn’t wait until your daddy was done giving me a good morning kiss, couldn’t you?” and all Hilda did was giggle because she’s just such a cheeky baby.

“T-That was very painful!” Philip said as he rubbed on his hand that Hilda bit, “Come here, lassie!” Philip then lifted Hilda up so that he could give her a kiss on the cheek. He then passed her over to her mother who did the same thing.

“Happy now?” Theresa asks Hilda. To which, Hilda giggled contentedly – because that’s what babies want, attention from their parents.

* * *

After being told about his staffers about how the Mays loved to go walking, Justin Trudeau had this marvelous idea of taking them to Gatineau Park. Yes, the same park where he emerged from a cave topless. Not that he’s planning to emerge from a cave topless in front of a visiting Head of Government.

“And here’s a fun fact,” Justin said as he guided the Mays into the park – with his wife and children in tow, “This was where I emerged topless from a cave.” He added as he pointed out to that very cave where he emerged without a shirt on.

“Shush now Justin! There’s no need to tell them about that!” Sophie said, “I apologize for my husband. It’s just that he doesn’t get visitors from foreign countries often.” She added, giggling.

“Sophie, can’t I have a little fun?” Justin asked, pulling a pouty face on his wife

“You are the Prime Minister of Canada, not a teenage boy!” Sophie replied, leading to Justin pouting even more.

Because Justin was somehow rebellious anyway, he did take the Mays into that cave. The Mays just followed and marveled on the cave. This was completely nothing like the hiking trips they’d take and it was what made it even more exciting.

“Mama, we should really show them the stream in here!” Ella-Grace suggested to her mother, “You know, the one where papa took a dip before he emerged from the cave without a shirt on?”

“Of course sweetie!” Sophie said as she got Justin’s attention by tapping on Justin’s shoulder, “ _Mon amour_ , show our guests that stream.” And she flashed Justin a knowing grin which led to Justin looking so excited.

As instructed by his wife, Justin led his guests to that stream and as if by instinct, Justin suddenly took off his shirt and threw it aside before taking a dip on the stream. Sophie was pretty gobsmacked at this point – what possessed his husband into going shirtless in front of a visiting Prime Minister and his family?

“Does he always take his shirt off in random places?” Philip asked Sophie as the two observed Justin enjoying the stream.

“Not always.” Sophie replied, “But when he does take his shirt off in random places, he becomes a sensation – a social media hit!”

“Sophie, don’t even give my husband an idea to turn up shirtless in random places!” Theresa scoffed – but it was too late, it appeared that her husband is trying to follow Justin’s lead when he had started to unbutton his top.

“Just this once dear? Please?” Philip said, his beady eyes fixed on his wife’s as he continued to unbutton his top.

“Fine.” Theresa said, her voice sounding defeated – and with that, Philip was happily on his way, taking off his top and throwing it on the ground before running to the stream to join Justin.

When Justin and Philip were finally done taking a dip on the stream, they all decided to emerge from the cave and of course – a déjà vu moment took place. A group of tourists just sighted Justin Trudeau topless and decided to ask a selfie from him. Justin gladly obliged which made the tourists even more excited.

“Sophie, do you mind taking a picture of us?” Theresa said as she handed her phone to Sophie, before tapping her husband on the shoulder. Sophie gladly obliged as well, asking them if they were ready for the picture.

At this point, Philip was still topless, with his top tied to his waist. For some reason, he forgot to put his top back on but Theresa wasn’t going to waste her time to tell him to put his top back. Oddly, she prefers him topless at this point.

Philip then took Hilda from her mother’s arms and perched her on top of his shoulders. Then, Theresa wrapped her arm around Philip’s waist and proceeded to kiss him for the picture. Sophie could not help but giggle at the sight of it.

* * *

A day later, when the Mays had returned to the United Kingdom – Justin Trudeau’s new topless selfie became viral, but not for the reason expected.

“British Prime Minister and family photobombs a selfie with the Canadian Prime Minister.” One of the headlines read. Another said, “PMTM & Husband photobomb a selfie of Justin Trudeau and his fan.”

It turned out, on the selfies that were uploaded, Theresa, Philip and Hilda posing for a picture taken by Sophie was visible on the back. Apparently, Sophie forgot to tell them to move over so that they wouldn’t get in the way of those selfies her husband was taking.

Or maybe she didn’t tell them to move out of the way on purpose so that people will have other things to talk about for a change other than her husband emerging from caves topless.

"I can't believe we photobombed the Canadian Prime Minister!" Theresa said gleefully as she read from her laptop in her office

"I knew Sophie was up to something!" Philip answered back, "She didn't ask us to move over when we were clearly on the way!"

"Not to mention that she had this mischievous look on her face while she took our photos!" Theresa added, "But I'm sure Justin will understand that we're getting the limelight this time. After all, we were his guests at that time."

"Well, at least the world has seen how much in love we really are!" Philip said

"You cheesy lad!" was Theresa's reaction. She appreciates when her husband reaffirms his love for her but sometimes, she can't help but point out that he's being cheesy at times.


	16. Three Hundred and Sixty-Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hilda turns one and an old friend of the Prime Minister emerges.

Little footsteps made their way to the hallway of 10 Downing Street. As civil servants traversed through these hallways, the owner of these little footsteps is trying to keep up with them - her father following not far behind. Sometimes, this owner of the little footsteps falls but she would try to get up again with a happy grin on her face. This went on for a few more times until she and her father have reached their destination.

The door to the Prime Minister's office.

"Come on sweetie, show mummy what you can do." Her father said as he opened the door to the office. It was three in the afternoon and the occupant of the said office was still very much in there, engaged with her work.

The Prime Minister was as usual, busy poring over paperwork. It was now December but the government doesn't really get Christmas breaks so here she was, with her bevy of civil servants, working on important papers, as the rest of the United Kingdom prepare for the Christmas holidays.

Nevertheless, Hilda started walking into the office anyway, occasionally falling every few steps or so but never giving up. She's just learned how to walk recently and she seems to be enjoying it. Realizing that she is now closer to her mother, her pace went faster as if she were running and it didn’t take long for the Prime Minister to notice her daughter walking towards her. Theresa could not help but smile as she watched Hilda take her first steps. Her Yorkshire Pudding surely was growing fast. Almost a year ago, she was just a wee baby and now here she was, walking for the first time.

“Oh my goodness sweetie! You’re walking!” Theresa said in awe as she watched Hilda make those small yet quick strides. Hilda was walking much faster at this point, as if excited by her mother’s own excitement, “Yes come to mummy! Come on you beautiful lass, you can make it!” and by this point, Theresa stood up from her seat and squatted so that she could catch Hilda.

A few more steps and the Prime Minister’s Yorkshire Pudding landed safely in her mother’s arms just as Philip entered the room saying, “I wanted to surprise her mummy.” This led to Theresa crying tears of joy from the fact that her baby is growing fast. Looking up to her husband, she said, “This is the best surprise, darling!”

* * *

It was ten more days before Hilda was officially a year older and gifts for her have started arriving to 10 Downing Street. Some came from supporters of the Prime Minister, one came from the former Prime Minister David Cameron. There was another gift box that arrived, coming from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Not to mention, the media had started to go on a countdown as well – knowing that the birthday of the Prime Minister’s daughter was a big deal for two things – because she is the Prime Minister’s daughter and because she was born on Christmas day.

People also took the opportunity to congratulate the Prime Minister over her daughter’s milestone of turning a year old. As expected, some of those who congratulated her on Twitter congratulated the wrong Theresa May. The one without an ‘h’ – the former glamour model.

“When will these people ever realize that _I AM NOT THE PRIME MINISTER_!” Teresa May said as she slammed her phone on the table, “Maybe I shouldn’t have joked about wanting to be Prime Minister in the last General Elections.”

On the day of the General Elections in 2015, she tweeted twice, jokingly asking for her fans to elect her as the Prime Minister. Funnily enough, over a year later, she somewhat got what she wanted with people congratulating her for becoming Prime Minister when they really intended to congratulate the Home Secretary – who she once crossed paths with over a decade ago at GMTV, when the Home Secretary’s publicity team decided to profit off the first time people mistook her for the then-Shadow Secretary for Education and Employment.

She vigorously replied to one tweet that congratulated her for her “daughter” turning a year old, saying “You must be mistaken. I am not the Prime Minister.” – many variations of this tweet were sent to people who wrongly congratulated her.

It’s only ten days before the Prime Minister’s daughter would turn one. She can only imagine how much of these tweets would she be receiving by the time that Christmas Day takes place.

* * *

By Christmas Eve, more gifts have arrived for Hilda – one coming from the Prime Minister of Canada (who happened to share the same birthday as the wee lass), one coming from the First Minister of Scotland and a sack of gifts coming from her cabinet ministers.

At this point, Theresa and Philip were hauling the gifts back and forth into their car. They’d have to bring them all back to Maidenhead along with their own gifts. It was Christmas tradition for them to return to their constituency home on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas Day and Boxing Day there. This would also be the first time that Hilda would get to stay in their constituency home as she had spent her first months of life in 10 Downing Street.

While they hauled the gifts, Hilda followed around, trying to keep her pace with her parents. Being a person who is only walking for the first few times, she isn’t quite fast at keeping up her pace with the older people. Theresa’s advisers, Fiona and Timothy, watched from the door – both in awe at the fact that the wee Hilda that they once saw was not so little anymore.

“Which reminds me, the Prime Minister and her husband are set to appear in court March of next year to make this adoption official.” Nick said to Fiona

“Ms. Rudd should really see this. She would be damn proud of the efforts she took so that the Prime Minister’s adoption process of this lass would be sped up.” Fiona spoke as she faced Nick, in reference to the fact that Philip literally had to talk Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, into finding a way for him and his wife to speed up Hilda’s adoption process – given that Jasmin Alvarez was certainly ready for it to begin.

* * *

When Christmas day had arrived, Philip was up early like a little boy who was excited to open his Christmas presents. Happily, he woke Theresa and Hilda up as well – and by the looks of it, it was as if he was more excited to open the gifts than they did.

“It’s five in the morning dear, can’t you give me another hour?” A groggy Theresa said as she tried to reach for a sleeping Hilda beside her, “Besides, the Christmas day service isn’t until nine.”

“Can’t I be excited for my daughter’s birthday, Prime Minister?” an excited Philip fired back

Then it hit Theresa, it was their daughter’s birthday, of course she and her husband would have every reason to make Christmas day extra special. She then woke Hilda up by planting a kiss on her cheeks – quickly enough, the little lass slowly opened her eyes and yawned.

“Happy Birthday, sweetie!” Theresa said as she brushed her fingers on Hilda’s dirty blonde hair. At this point, Hilda was now smiling.

Without any further ado, she slowly got up from the bed and carried Hilda with one arm while using the other to softly drag her husband from the bed. In a few moments, they moved down to the living room where a rather large Christmas tree stood, wrapped in Christmas lights with ornaments dating from decades back hanging on it.

Below the tree were an array of Christmas presents coming in different sizes and shapes. Some were for her, some were for her husband but most were for Hilda – whose first birthday led to many people mailing their gifts into 10 Downing Street for her.

Theresa knelt down by the Christmas tree to retrieve the first present for Hilda. This gift was wrapped in a shiny red wrapper and accentuated by a green ribbon, “Come on Hilda, why don’t you open it?” Philip asked Hilda.

Hilda tugged onto the bow of the gift and then Theresa helped her open the present. With the wrapper and ribbon out of the way, she opened the box to reveal a leopard print dress inside and she could not help but laugh. _Who in the world would think of giving my daughter a gift like that anyway?_ , she thought.

“It’s from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.” Philip said as he read from the gift card belonging to the present that was just opened

“Is this some kind of a gag gift?” Theresa asked as she held up the dress, “But Justin, being Justin, would definitely send people hilarious gifts.” Oh, she remembered what the Canadian Prime Minister sent her on her birthday – leopard print winter boots of all things.

“Mama!” Hilda said as she tried to reach for the dress, “Mine!” she added as she gripped on the dress

“Oh look, she’s said her first words!” Philip said proudly

“Do you want to put it on, sweetie?” and Hilda nodded at her mother with that cheerful grin. Quickly, Theresa took off Hilda’s onesie and slipped her into the leopard print dress. In the process, she swore that Philip could be laughing at the fact that Hilda took Justin Trudeau’s gag gift seriously.

Hilda spun around in her brand new leopard print dress – like anyone would do if you gave them a brand new dress to wear. Philip took her hand and held her as she continued to spin around. This left Theresa teary-eyed as before her eyes, her daughter was happily spinning in her brand new dress; Moreover, it’s been a year since she and her husband decided to be loving parents to the loveable lass.

* * *

Christmas Day has gone terrifically well for the Mays. A church service in the morning followed by their tradition of spending Christmas Lunch with the old people in Theresa’s constituency. Theresa and Philip could not help but feel proud whenever the old people over that lunch complimented how cute Hilda is.

“You’ve got a gorgeous little lass there, Prime Minister!” An old woman said, “God Bless her!”

“She’s gorgeous, just like her mummy!” An old man added as Theresa (with Hilda on her arms) passed through

The press were there too, especially the reporter sent over by the Maidenhead Advertiser. For most of the time, they were trying to get pictures of Hilda. The next best thing to ever happen after Will and Kate’s babies.

“You know, if we did an opinion poll right now asking people whether they prefer Hilda or Princess Charlotte,” A journalist from the Daily Mail told the journalist from the Maidenhead Advertiser, “They would surely pick Hilda. She’s just that adorable!”

“Not even Leo Blair could rival whoever the royal baby is that was close to his age!” The journalist from the Maidenhead Advertiser said.

After the Christmas Lunch, Theresa and Philip finally got around to celebrating Hilda’s first birthday. Theresa, being the culinary goddess that she is, decided that she’d rather bake her daughter a cake instead of getting one from the nearest Waitrose.

And of course, she couldn’t forget to give Hilda her first bite of pasta.

“Darling, put my phone on loudspeaker, will you?” The Prime Minister of Canada was on the line and she needed to receive his call while preparing the pasta. Philip obliged and put Theresa’s phone on loudspeaker.

“So, how did Hilda like the dress?” Justin Trudeau asked from the other line

“Very funny, Mr. Trudeau.” Theresa said as she stirred the boiling pasta, “The leopard print dress was quite an excellent gag gift. You really are just like your father, such a mischievous man.”

“Don’t blame me!” Sophie said from the background, “Justin saw that dress while we shopped clothes for Hadrien and he figured out that he should send it over to you as a joke.”

“Well, looks like my daughter took your joke seriously, Mr. Trudeau.” Theresa said as she looked back to see Hilda still amused by her new dress, “It seems that she doesn’t want to take the dress off anymore.”

“Mummy, I’m pretty!” Hilda shouted from down the hall

“I knew your daughter would love the dress!” Justin said from the other line

* * *

A gluten free Chocolate cake was the centerpiece of the table. A lit candle was put on top of it. Theresa, Philip and Hilda gathered around the cake.

“Happy Birthday, sweetie!” Theresa and Philip said in unison as they planted a kiss on Hilda’s cheeks

“Now make a wish and blow your candle!” Philip said as he moved the cake closer to Hilda

Theresa then helped Hilda blow the candle and with the flame gone, Philip softly smashed Hilda’s face towards the cake, being the cheeky man that he is. This made Theresa a bit concerned, not until Hilda brought her head up, only to smash her own head again to the cake, before scarfing down the cake.

This made Theresa and Philip laugh. Moreover, they found themselves tearing up because they realized that it’s been a year since they welcomed Hilda in their lives. They could not wait to see what the next years will be for their family.


	17. Boxing Day 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theresa May finally meets up with an old friend - a colleague in the Coalition days turned Member of the House of Lords

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In addition to the new chapter I published a few days back, I also decided to publish this short chapter today. The next chapter will be longer and takes place two years after the events of the first fifteen chapters.

Fiona Hill was scrolling over her Twitter feed to keep an eye out of any news concerning her boss. This one news caught her eye, it was from The Daily Mail who managed to snap photos of her boss and her family on Christmas day.

When she opened the article, the first picture that came up was a picture of Theresa and Philip visiting elderly constituents for lunch – and there was Hilda on Theresa’s hands, wearing a leopard print dress. This left Fiona gobsmacked because she couldn’t remember Hilda ever owning a leopard print dress – and she was very certain that she didn’t give Hilda a leopard print dress for a birthday present.

“It must be a dress gifted to her as a joke.” Fiona thought. She then sent the article’s link over to her boss. She surely should see the first photos that the paps took of her daughter. Then again, she doesn’t care much about the paps as they do not chase her like crazy (like when they chase Kate Middleton).

Theresa and Philip sat against the headboard of their bed with Hilda snuggling against her mother’s chest, when Theresa’s phone vibrated, containing a message from one of her special advisers, Fiona. The message read:

_Prime Minister, looks like the paps got pictures of your daughter in the leopard print dress_

And attached with the message was a link to the article from The Daily Mail which featured pictures of Hilda in the leopard print dress from when her parents brought her for the annual Christmas lunch with the elderly in Maidenhead.

“My, doesn’t our pretty baby look gorgeous!” Philip said as he peered at his wife’s phone

“Don’t be ridiculous Philip!” Theresa said, “Now they think we dressed up our daughter like that as a joke!”

“Well, it may be a joke but we weren’t the ones who made such joke.” Philip explained, “They have to give credit to the Prime Minister of Canada for sending that dress over.”

“If you look at it in another perspective, Hilda here is going to grow up a brilliant stunner like her mummy,” Theresa said as she moved Hilda closer to her head, “Won’t you?” she asked her. The thing is, Hilda has always been the brilliant stunner like her mummy.

After the General Election of 2017 re-elected Theresa, photos of her with Philip and Hilda posing outside 10 Downing Street (as it is customary for the new Prime Minister to do with their family) were in every newspaper. Everyone was talking about the new Prime Minister but they were also talking about how Hilda pulled off the Tory blue dress – to the point that she was now receiving the same attention usually given to Princess Charlotte.

Hilda looked up at her mother with her ever-beady brown eyes, offering a cheeky grin. Theresa could not help but smile back – remembering the sentimental feelings she had when Hilda turned one the day before. Theresa survived a terrorist attack, a general election and the process to adopt Hilda. None of those came easy for her or for Philip.

For the second time that day, Theresa’s phone vibrated. It was a text message from an old friend of hers – a colleague in the Coalition government turned Member of the House of Lords.

_Do you happen to be free for some afternoon tea?_

_-Lynne_

* * *

**_Waterloo, London_ **

“Has it been past a decade since we first met?” Lynne Featherstone said after sipping her cup of tea. Sitting before her was the Prime Minister of the UK and her daughter. The Prime Minister and Baroness Featherstone first crossed paths after the 2010 General Elections produced the Coalition government between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

Lynne had decided to ask the Prime Minister out for afternoon tea because she was out of her home for that day to take advantage of the Boxing Day sales. At one point, she’d need to take a break and she used that as an opportunity to try to reel in the Prime Minister.

And that explains why when Theresa and Hilda arrived to meet her, her table was surrounded by shopping bags of different sizes.

“Indeed, more than a decade has passed.” Theresa said as she took a sip of her own tea. Hilda sat on her lap and seemed to be listening on to what her mother and this other woman were talking about.

When the 2015 General Elections took place, she lost her seat to Catherine West, the Labour candidate. However, that was not the end of her political career, as she was made a Member of the House of Lords after being nominated for a peerage by former Deputy Prime Minister Clegg.

“Honestly, I’m still overwhelmed over getting a Life Peerage and sitting in the House of Lords.” Lynne said, “I bet Catherine West is so jealous of me right now.” And that led to both the Prime Minister and the Baroness in a laughing fit.

As the two women continued to talk, Hilda got off her mother’s lap and climbed up onto Lynne's – after which, she snuggled into Lynne – which worked effectively because now, she is out like a light.

“Well, looks like someone thinks you're a pillow!” Theresa remarked

“I’m not surprised.” Lynne said with a smile, “My two children, and my nephews and nieces, tend to do the same when they were Hilda's age.” Now, Hilda was peacefully snuggling against Lynne. Theresa thought of picking Hilda up so that Lynne wouldn't have a hard time but she changed her mind and let Hilda be.

But hey, it was going to be an interesting conversation starter for Hilda – about the one time she dozed off as a toddler on her mother's former colleague.


	18. Three Years Later

Three years into the United Kingdom's Brexit journey, a lot has happened. UKIP was officially killed off - its members deflecting either to the Conservatives, to Labour, or to its smaller namesake, the Socialist Labour party. The SNP still remained a powerful force despite losing seats in the last General Election. It was the Scottish Parliament election that reaffirmed whatever power they had left. The Liberal Democrats was now led by Vince Cable after Tim Farron stepped down as the party's leader. Lastly, the Labour party has chosen Yvette Cooper as their new leader.

Oh, and the second Scottish Referendum is being pushed for again. 

On this particular day, the Prime Minister is to meet the First Minister of Scotland. At this point, both the House of Commons and the Scottish Parliament are on recess. Meaning, a longer meeting between the two were to be expected. Not to mention that the First Minister of Scotland had a plus one - her son, Andrew. The daughter of the Prime Minister, Hilda, particularly found him a source of excitement.

"Come along, Larry!" Hilda said to the cat that followed her down the hall. Larry is the Chief Mouser of 10 Downing Street.

Hilda then found Andrew sitting on a chair at the hall, swinging his legs up and down. 

Andrew noticed her presence and her eyes lit as he said, "Hi, I'm Andrew! Who are you?"

Hilda held her head up high and said, "I'm Hilda. My mummy is the Prime Minister."

She then scooped Larry into her arms, "Your mummy must be the First Minister of Scotland." she added. Andrew nodded his head and jumped off the chair, reaching out to pat Larry on the head.

"Be careful, now."Hilda said as she adjusted her hold on Larry, "This wee kitty isn't nice to strangers." 

Larry wasn't a "wee kitty" anymore, but anything smaller than her, Hilda calls  _wee_.

* * *

Back in the green room of 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister had a meeting with the First Minister of Scotland. They were discussing on Scottish Independence. It has been a couple of hours and yet, the Prime Minister was still in the same process of convincing the First Minister to not call an Independence Referendum.

"First Minister Sturgeon," the Prime Minister said after drawing a deep breath, "The Brexit itself has been divisive. We all know that. I cannot have you causing more division to the United Kingdom." Brexit was already divisive enough, it brought the worst out of everybody - it made the far right and the far left creep out of the fringes where they belonged to. It became an incubator of sorts for extremism, which was the expected outcome. 

The Prime Minister was a Remainer herself, but there was a high risk with asking the British people to show up to elections again. She knew that well enough when her majority was sliced into a minority after calling for a snap election two years after the last General Election, and a year after the EU Referendum. 

"And neither do the Scots want to live in a country that fosters division!" the First Minister of Scotland said, as she tried her best to suppress the urge of wanting to throw the coffee table that stood between her and the PM, towards the PM's direction, "Which is why, I have told you today, and many times, that the Scottish people desire to be heard on this very issue!"

"For someone who preaches unity, you sure are a paradox." The Prime Minister said as she sipped on her tea, "We were, after all, on the same side. We both fought to keep the UK in the European Union, even as people accused us of being closet Eurosceptics."

"Shame really, that some people think I would have united the UK to leave the European Union just so that I could spearhead another Independence Referendum." The First Minister of Scotland said with frustration, "Not to mention that it is a shame that people think that you are a Euroskeptic simply because you are more conservative than your predecessor.

"So, are you now abandoning your plans of a second Independence Referendum?" The Prime Minister asked, with a steely gaze towards her Scottish counterpart.

" _Not bloody likely_ , Theresa Mary May." Nicola Sturgeon said, as she took a sip of her own tea, "Your appeals are quite emotional and vindictive - however, the Scottish People come first before my feelings. Sorry, but the Independence Referendum is likely to happen."

* * *

As Hilda and Andrew walked through the hallways of 10 Downing Street, another cat walked across the hall. Andrew, wanting to tote a cat around like Hilda, decided to pick up this other cat. This other cat of course, was Palmerston from the Foreign Office. Larry's sworn rival. 

This gave Hilda an idea of what to do next.

"Andrew, see that box on top of mummy's desk?" Hilda asked as she pointed out to a box of Tunnocks that settled on top of the Prime Minister's desk.

Andrew tipped his toes and saw what Hilda was trying to point out. A box of Tunnocks in all its brand new glory. Andrew loved Tunnocks - her mummy always gave him one when he was being good. In fact, his mother had eaten a lot of those, with cans of Irn Bru, while she was pregnant with him. 

"Tunnocks!" Andrew shouted excitedly, "Hilda, can I have some? Pretty please!" and now, his beady eyes locked with Hilda's.

"Say, we're going to let Larry and Palmerston fight." Hilda announced as she held up Larry confidently, "The winner gets Tunnocks, I'm on Larry's side. You are on Palmerston's side."

The two children set the cats down, near each other. In a matter of moments, Larry and Palmerston started to fight - scratching each other on the face, on the legs, and all over the body!

"Come on Larry, finish him!" Hilda cheered as Larry tormented Palmerston

"Palmerston, fight him!" Andrew cheered on as he watched Palmerston avoid Larry's advances, "Go on lad, you can do it!"

Just as the literal cat fight took place, Philip May, the Prime Minister's husband, walked into the Prime Minister's office. He was startled upon the sight of his daughter, and Andrew, cheering on the fighting cats.

Palmerston has scratched Larry on his face, causing Larry to do the same, pinning the poor Foreign Office cat under him. Palmerston tried to wiggle free by scratching Larry on his stomach. Larry let out a loud meow as Palmerston scurried out of Larry's way. Larry wasn't down to being defeated. As soon as he got up on his feet, he went straight to pouncing Palmerston, scratching him until blood drew out of his back.

"I won!!!" Hilda yelled triumphantly as she plucked Larry from the ground, "More Tunnocks for me!"

Palmerston didn't seem like a good sport about this. Quickly, he tried to use Hilda as a scratching post in order to reach Larry. Palmerston failed because Philip was able to block him from harming his daughter. Philip plucked Palmerston from the floor with one hand, and Larry with another, "Hilda and Andrew, you two shouldn't be pitting this cats against each other." The Prime Minister's husband said as he tried to juggle two agitated cats in his arms.

"But Andrew started it!" Hilda said defensively as she pointed to Andrew, who reached up for the box of Tunnocks on top of the desk.

"I did not!" Andrew said as he looked at Hilda and her father, "Hilda started it. She said I can have some Tunnocks if I won!"

Philip took the box of Tunnocks from his wife's desk and handed it over to the two children, "Your mummy intended to give you these, but since you and Andrew want them badly, I guess you two having it right now wouldn't hurt." he said to Hilda

"Oooh! Thank you Mr. May!" Andrew happily said as he proceeded to open the pack of Tunnocks

"Now, you two better not make the cats fight against each other again!" Philip said as he made his way out of his wife's office. Hilda and Andrew nodded to Philip as he exited.

* * *

 

"Scotland deserves to decide on its fate in the European Union!" Nicola Sturgeon said as she shot an angry glare to the Prime Minister, "SNP. The SIRP. The Socialist Party of Scotland. Those of us working towards independence have increased in number. In case you missed it, there's more of us now. From the Scottish local government and parliament, to Westminster!"

"I apologize, First Minister, but I cannot consent you to break the Union."Theresa said in an authoritative tone, "I, myself, have Scottish heritage from my father's side. His great grandfather was born and raised in Clackmanshire."

Nicola was gobsmacked at this revelation. Yes, she's heard of it from the press, but she did not give much attention to it until the woman herself confirmed it. This was the first time she saw a Conservative PM with Scottish heritage in her entire lifetime. Was this perhaps, the true reason behind Ruth Davidson's rise to power with the Scottish Conservatives?

 


	19. Easter Sunday at Kensington Palace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hilda goes on an Easter egg hunt at the Kensington Palace where she meets the children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Clarence for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an Easter-themed chapter in celebration of Easter Sunday. I hope you'll all like this one. Happy Easter everybody!

An Easter reception is being held at the Kensington Palace. This was an initiative jointly made by the Duke and Duchess of Clarence, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The reception was a combination of afternoon tea and an Easter Egg Hunt, as both pair of royals have young children.

“This is the Kensington Palace,” Philip said, “Home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke of Duchess of Clarence, the Duke of Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and Princess Eugenie.”

Hilda looked at the Kensington Palace for the first time in awe. The young lass has spent her time growing up seeing castles and palaces. Aside from seeing palaces and castles on state visits that her mother takes her and her father to, her parents take her to see some castles and palaces around the country during the holidays.

“Come along Hilda!” Theresa told the young lass, “We are meeting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Clarence!”

“Are we meeting Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Arthur and Princess Melissa?” Hilda asked excitedly. She has heard of the children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Clarence, but she has yet to meet them.

“Of course, sweetie!” Philip told her, “You are going on an Easter Egg Hunt with them!”

* * *

When the Mays walked into the Kensington Palace, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Clarence exchanged greetings with them. They had decided to invite the Prime Minister and her family over, knowing that they have a child who would surely enjoy the activities of that afternoon.

After exchanging greetings with the royals, the Mays were then accompanied by a staffer of the palace to the palace gardens, where the other guests and their children were waiting for the egg hunt to start. Once they were settled, four children ran towards their direction.

“George! Wait up!” Princess Charlotte said as she, Prince Arthur and Princess Melissa tried to catch up with him as they ran towards Hilda and her parents.

“Oh look darling, it’s the children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Clarence!” Theresa said to Philip as she spotted the four children run towards their direction.

As the four children came to a complete stop, George said as he reached his hand out, “Hi, I’m George!”

Hilda smiled and shook George’s hand, “I’m Hilda.”

“I’m Charlotte!” Princess Charlotte piped up, “And this is my brother, Arthur.” She added as she pointed out to her younger brother, Prince Arthur, who stood beside her.

“And this is my cousin, Melissa.” George said as he tried to carry the one year-old Princess Melissa

“Hello George!” Theresa told Prince George, “You’ve grown so much already!” she added. It only seemed like yesterday when the Prince was just an infant, and she was still Home Secretary back then.

“Hello Prime Minister!” Prince George said with a toothy smile and a wave

"Hello Charlotte!" Theresa said to Princess Charlotte, "You've grown so much as well!" she added. 

"Hello Prime Minister!" Princess Charlotte said, pulling an adorable face afterwards, "Am I adorable?"

"Of course you are!" Theresa told the Princess, "You are all adorable!" she added, referring to the four royal children that stood before her

“Our dear Hilda has been excited to meet you four!” Philip said to the four royal children

“Good afternoon everyone!” The voice belonging to the Duchess of Cambridge said, “I hope you are all enjoying this afternoon. Our Easter Egg hunt is about to start soon so we would like to request for all the children to assemble over here.” The Duchess of Cambridge added.

Right then and there, the royal children, and Hilda, took off, with Theresa and Philip following them.

* * *

The children ran all over the place as they tried to locate the hidden Easter eggs around the Kensington Gardens. Hilda reached into every bush she passed by in hopes of finding an Easter egg to add to her basket. Reaching into another bush, she pulled out an Easter egg with a rabbit’s face painted on it, and she placed it into her basket. Her four Easter eggs in the basket have become five.

On the bush next to where Hilda got her fifth egg, Prince George and Prince Arthur were also looking for more Easter eggs to add to their basket. Then suddenly, Princess Charlotte piped up, “I found an egg!”.

Hilda, Prince George and Prince Arthur saw the Princess run towards them as she waved a pink egg with white polka dots with her left hand, and her egg basket on her right hand. Princess Melissa ran behind her, also with a blue and silver egg on her left hand, and her egg basket on the right.

The royal children and Hilda then gathered to compare the number of eggs they have collected. Hilda had collected five eggs, while Prince George also collected five eggs. Princess Charlotte had seven eggs while Prince Arthur had two. Princess Melissa had two eggs in her basket as well.

“I have the most eggs!” Princess Charlotte said

“The hunt isn’t finished yet.” Prince George replied

“Let’s find some more!” Hilda spoke excitedly

Then, the five children took off and joined the rest of the children in the egg hunt in order to find more eggs. The next few minutes was spent by the children finding more Easter eggs around the garden. They were told at the beginning that the child who gets the most number of Easter eggs will receive a special prize.

* * *

At the end of the egg hunt, all the children lined up so that the eggs inside their baskets could be counted by the hosts of the event.

“Hello there Elle!” Meghan, the Duchess of Clarence said as she received the basket of a little girl, “Let me count the number of eggs that you’ve got, okay?”

The little girl named Elle nodded as Meghan counted the girl’s eggs. Meanwhile, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge was counting the number of eggs that another little girl on her queue received.

“Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, and twenty!” Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge said, putting the basket aside on the long table afterwards, “You’ve got twenty eggs, Caroline!”

The little girl named Caroline clapped as the Duchess of Cambridge told her how many eggs she collected from the Easter egg hunt.

“Hello Hilda!” The Duchess of Clarence said as Hilda stepped forward with her basket to have her eggs counted, “My, you’ve collected a lot of eggs! Let’s see how many eggs you’ve picked up, okay?”

Hilda nodded as The Duchess of Clarence started to count the number of eggs she collected. Hilda waited patiently for The Duchess of Clarence to finish counting the eggs. She was excited to find out how many eggs she had collected.

“That’s twenty-seven eggs, Hilda!” The Duchess of Clarence said with a smile on her face, “Great job!”

“Thank you!” Hilda said as she flashed a toothy smile to The Duchess of Clarence, before skipping off back to her parents.

On another queue was the Prince Harry, the Duke of Clarence, who was counting the number of eggs that his nephew, Prince George, collected.

“Well George, you’ve collected thirty eggs!” Prince Harry said with a smile, “That’s quite a lot there, young lad.”

“Hey, I have thirty-five!” Princess Charlotte said from the other queue where Meghan, the Duchess of Clarence was counting the eggs she collected, “Beat that George!”

“Our children are getting quite competitive, aren’t they?” Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge commented to her husband, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge.

“Sibling rivalry, at its finest!” Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge said.

After the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Clarence finished counting the eggs, they announced the winner of the egg hunt.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! We are more than glad to announce the winner of this year’s Easter egg hunt!” Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge said.

“This lucky child collected forty Easter eggs!” Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge announced

“Mallory Andrews, congratulations!” Prince Harry, the Duke of Clarence announced, “Please step forward to claim your prize!”

The girl who won the Easter egg hunt then stepped forward with her parents and claimed the prize from Meghan, the Duchess of Clarence. The prize was none other than an Easter bunny inside a big basket. Mallory watched in awe as she received the Easter bunny from the Duchess of Clarence.

* * *

“I don’t mind that we didn’t win the prize.” Prince George told Hilda as he, his siblings and his cousin walked along with her to the Kensington Palace.

“Why?” Hilda asked curiously

“Because I already have pet hamsters!” Prince George said happily, “Would you like to see them?”

“Yes!” Hilda told Prince George, “I want to see your pet hamsters!”

“The hamsters are so cute!” Princess Charlotte piped up

The children then made it towards the bedroom of Prince George where a big hamster cage stood on the floor, beside his drawer. Inside the cage were four hamsters who were doing all sorts of things like running on a hamster wheel, crawling into plastic tubes and gnawing on their food.

Prince George then picked up a fluffy brown hamster from the cage and started to ruffle the hamster’s fur, “This is Marvin, he is my first hamster.”

Hilda then reached out to brush the hamster’s fur with her hand, as she looked at it adorably. The hamster seemed to behave while she was brushing its fur. Most of the time, it tries to bite the hands of strangers, but not Hilda’s.

“And this is Gus!” Princess Charlotte said as she took another hamster, with white fur, from the cage, “He’s quite shy.”

“And that’s Pepper!” Prince George said as he pointed out to a Champagne-colored hamster inside the cage, “and Hamoine!” he added as he pointed to a Chocolate-colored hamster inside the cage.

For the rest of the afternoon, the children spent time playing with Prince George’s pet hamsters.

* * *

“Mummy, I would like a pet hamster.” Hilda told her mother as the Mays were being driven back to 10 Downing Street

“Sweetie, we already have Larry.” Theresa told her daughter

“And besides, cats love rodents.” Philip added, “Larry would just cause trouble to a hamster.”

Hilda pouted in response. She found Prince George’s hamsters really adorable and she really wanted to have one of those.

“Say, would you like a puppy instead?” Philip asked her daughter, which earned a nod of approval from her.

“We’ll get a puppy soon, sweetie.” Theresa said to Hilda as she brushed her hair with her hand, “For now, Larry will do.”


	20. Of Diplomacy and Catch-ups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theresa May and Malcolm Turnbull have a meeting at 10 Downing Street during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and Theresa and Philip tell Hilda the story of the time they debated against him at Oxford.

_**April 19, 2018 – 10 Downing Street Gardens** _

“Prime Minister May, I can assure you that I, and the rest of Australia has your country’s full backing in supporting Prince Charles as Her Majesty’s successor as leader of the Commonwealth.” Malcolm Turnbull, the Prime Minister of Australia stated, “I am confident that he will continue the good work that his mother has started for the Commonwealth.”

It was the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 and part of the activities for some Heads of Government in the Commonwealth was a meeting with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, as the United Kingdom is the host country of that year’s meeting.

“Prime Minister Turnbull, the United Kingdom is thankful for the support that you and your country has offered for Prince Charles succeeding Her Majesty, the Queen as the leader of the Commonwealth.” Theresa May, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom said, “It is very important for the United Kingdom to hear what other members of the Commonwealth have to say about Prince Charles becoming the next leader of the Commonwealth.”

Just as Theresa wrapped up her meeting with the Australian Prime Minister, a young girl ran towards where she and the Australian Prime Minister were seated. The father of the young girl followed in tow.

“Hilda insisted that we go here!” Philip said as he caught up with his and the British Prime Minister’s daughter, “Hilda, please slow down!” he added.

Instead, Hilda ran faster towards her mother.

“Philip May, it’s been thirty-nine years!” Malcolm called out

“Thirty-nine years since Theresa and I beat you at a debate.” Philip said in a tone that can be considered mic-drop worthy

“Mummy, who's that man?” Hilda asked as she pointed out to Malcolm

“He is Malcolm Turnbull.” Theresa told Hilda, “And he is the Prime Minister of Australia.”

“He's like you, a Prime Minister!” Hilda quipped

“Yes sweetie, he is a Prime Minister like mummy.” Theresa replied

“But unlike your mummy, he is not a good debater.” Philip said with a chuckle as Malcolm shot a glare at him

“Hilda sweetie, would you like to hear the story of how your daddy and I beat Prime Minister Turnbull at a debate?” Theresa asked Hilda

“Mummy, what's a debate?” Hilda asked

“A debate is when you argue with somebody over a given issue in a formal matter.” Theresa explained, “Your daddy and I debated with Prime Minister Turnbull about the advance of professionalism in sport.”

* * *

_June 21, 1979 – Lincoln College, Oxford University_

_It was the farewell debate of the Oxford Union Society and Theresa Brasier and Philip May were up against Malcolm Turnbull and the special guest of that debate, Bobby Charlton. Bobby Charlton was a professional football player who played for Manchester United and Team England, while Malcolm Turnbull was a Civil Law student in Brasenose College who hailed from Australia._

_The topic of the debate was on welcoming the advance of professionalism in sport. Malcolm was assigned to propose the topic while Theresa was assigned to oppose it, with Bobby speaking third and Philip speaking fourth._

_“We believe that the advance of professionalism in sport should be welcomed. This is to give professional athletes the opportunity to further their career as athletes and benefit from it. It is a well-known fact that only major sports leagues offer opportunities for professional athletes.” Malcolm said, “Minor sports leagues on the other hand, do not provide the same opportunities for those who want to go professional, but do not have the resources to get into a major sports league.”_

_Malcolm then took a seat after making his opening statement. Now, it was Theresa’s turn to make the opening statement for the opposing side. Philip whispered good luck to Theresa before she stood up. Before the debate started, Theresa and Philip prayed that they would do well in this debate._

_“We believe that the advance of professionalism in sport has already taken place. No doubt, major sports leagues already accept professional athletes, whatever their class and background may be. We have already come a long way from when professionalism in sport first took place.” Theresa said, “What needs to be done now is for the progress of the advancement of professionalism in sport to be sustained. Sustaining the progress of the advancement of professionalism means we need to see major sports leagues continue to accept more professional athletes, rather than leaving professional athletes to struggle in minor sports leagues, whose resources for supporting professional athletes are lacking, because major sports leagues have imposed a limit on professional athletes despite the vast resources they have to support them.”_

_After Theresa finished her opening statement, she took her seat and she and Philip exchanged smiles. After which, Philip whispered to her that she did well, and Theresa whispered thank you to him. They then turned their attention to Bobby Charlton who stood up to present further arguments for his side._

_“The advance of professionalism will greatly benefit professional athletes, both in major and minor sports leagues. As a professional athlete, I would like to see more professional athletes in the minor sports leagues receive support, and in turn, have fulfilling careers.” Bobby said, “Professional athletes in minor sports leagues are just as hard working as those like myself who play for a major sports league. They deserve just as much recognition as their major league counterparts. We should break the notion that a professional athlete only deserves success if he or she is playing for a major league.”_

_Malcolm gave Bobby two thumbs up after he had finished giving his supporting arguments. Now, it was Philip’s turn to deliver the supporting arguments for the opposing side. Theresa whispered him a good luck before he stood up, and then Philip whispered thank you to her._

_“Maintaining the progress that has already been set for the advance of professionalism in sport means that major sports leagues have to accept more professional athletes. For instance, in football, major sports leagues here in England have already accepted professional athletes, not just within England but even outside of England.” Philip said, “On the other hand, the Scottish Football Association still forbids professional athletes from participating. This has led to Scottish professional football players having to migrate to England in order to pursue their careers, when they should be able to get the same opportunity at home if the Scottish Football Association had been open to professional athletes.”_

_After Philip delivered his supporting arguments, he took his seat and he and Theresa exchanged smiles. Then, Theresa also told him that he did well, and then Philip whispered thank you to her as well. A recess was then called so that both sides could have time to prepare their rebuttals._

* * *

“Your daddy and I spent a lot of time researching for this debate.” Theresa told Hilda, “We went to the library to read up on the history of professionalism in sport, we read the sports sections of every newspaper we could come across with, and we even spoke to some professional athletes.”

“This debate was one of the things that brought your mummy and I closer to each other.” Philip told Hilda

“Mummy, what else happened?” Hilda asked

“Well sweetie, there was the rebuttals.” Theresa told Hilda, “It is when you try to defend your arguments without adding any new information.”

“That was the best part!” Philip told Hilda

“Your father is right.” Malcolm said, “That was the part where Bobby and I were able to go full force with the argument that we were proposing.”

“Except that entire time, you were being pompous!” Theresa told Malcolm, which led to Philip chuckling, “It wasn’t helping that Bobby’s rebuttals were not well-formed!”

“Well excuse me, I wasn’t being pompous.” Malcolm replied, “I was just giving out my very best for the rebuttals.”

“Daddy, what is pompous?” Hilda asked Philip this time

“It’s when you think you are better or more important than others.” Philip told Hilda, “Like what Prime Minister Turnbull did during the debate, and like what he is doing right now.” This resulted to Hilda giggling at Malcolm.

-

_This was the moment that she and Philip had been waiting for – the opportunity to cement her side’s victory at this debate._

_“The proposing team mentioned that minor sports leagues do not offer the same opportunities that major sports leagues give to professional athletes. They are right, for major sports leagues have already paved the way for the advance of professionalism in sport. The advance of professionalism in sport has come a long way since it first began.” Theresa said, “When back then, major leagues would only accept people coming from certain classes and backgrounds, now, major leagues accept people coming from various classes and backgrounds. That has to be maintained, for it is still benefiting many professional athletes, both experienced and novice.”_

_When Theresa finished delivering his rebuttal, Malcolm then stood up and gave his side’s rebuttal._

_“I have with me an athlete, and both of us agree that major sports leagues should not be the only ones who can unlock the potential of a professional athlete!” Malcolm said, “Leaving the unlocking of a professional athlete’s potential to a major sports league would be unfair to those who do not have access to major sports leagues! Not all professional athletes come from a privileged background, you know!”_

_Theresa and Philip could have rolled their eyes there, except that it is frowned upon to do that during debates when your opponent is speaking. They found Malcolm’s style of rebutting pompous, as if he has forgotten that debates are supposed to be formal, and his pompousness just made it look informal. Then, Philip gave his rebuttal._

_“Major sports leagues being open to professional athletes of varying classes and backgrounds is already enough. Especially considering that minor sports leagues would not be able to do the same as they do not have the resources to unlock the potential of professional athletes.” Philip said, “In fact, it is thanks to major sports leagues being open to professional athletes of varying classes and backgrounds, and having the resources to support these athletes, that professionalism in sports has advanced.”_

_Then it was Bobby’s turn to give another rebuttal for his side, “Must major sports leagues be the only ones to be able to develop a professional athlete’s career? I’ll tell you what, minor sports leagues can play a role too. Major sports leagues being open to professional athletes of varying classes and backgrounds is just not enough!”_

_Theresa and Philip seemed unimpressed by the way Bobby rebutted. It seemed to them that he was not even trying to make a proper rebuttal. They could not expect much from him, of course, since he never had a solid background in debating to begin with. They could not help but feel bad that he had to be paired with someone like Malcolm Turnbull has resorted to saving his arguments with pompousness._

_Once the rebuttals finished, it was now time for the closing statements to be given. This was the icing on top of the cake for Theresa and Philip’s oncoming victory._

_“The question of whether it is time for us to welcome the advance of professionalism in sport need not to be asked for it has already been answered. One just needs to look at the state of our major sports leagues today, where people of various classes and backgrounds are given the opportunity to develop their careers as professional athletes.” Theresa said, “The practice of major sports leagues accepting athletes from various classes and backgrounds needs to be continued so that the advance of professionalism in sport remains.”_

_Malcolm then gave his closing statement, and at this point, Theresa and Philip were confident that they would be the winners of the debate._

_“The advance of professionalism in sport should definitely be welcomed! It is about time that minor sports leagues are given the resources to support professional athletes in the same way that major sports leagues would be able to do so,” Malcolm said, “Only when minor sports leagues are included in the picture that the advance of professionalism in sport truly starts.”_

* * *

“There were eighty people who were watching us debate,” Theresa told Hilda, who was now in awe, “and fifty-eight out of the eighty people in there sided with your daddy and I.”

“They were convinced that your mummy and I had strong arguments,” Philip told Hilda, “Especially after Prime Minister Turnbull delivered a rather half-baked closing statement.”

“Hey, that was not half-baked!” Malcolm protested, “It was short because it was pretty obvious that my argument was already strong.”

“Your side was only supported by twenty-two people.” Theresa said, “I think that already says enough about who really won!”

“Mummy's right, she and daddy are the winners.” Hilda piped up

“Hilda is right, Malcolm.” Philip told Malcolm, who responded with a pout. Meanwhile, Hilda just giggled at Malcolm who was already pouting.

“Well, it is already time for me to go.” Malcolm told Hilda after looking at his watch, “Your mummy still has an important meeting with Prime Minister Ardern of New Zealand.” He added.

“Goodbye Prime Minister Turnbull.” Theresa told Malcolm, “It was nice for us to have a productive meeting, and for us to catch up as well!”

“Goodbye Prime Minister May.” Malcolm told Theresa, “and Philip and Hilda. I hope to be back here soon, this time with my grandchildren. Maybe we could get the children to learn the basics of debating.”

“We’re counting on it!” Philip and Theresa said with a laugh. The image of Prime Minister Turnbull’s grandchildren and Hilda learning debate basics from them and Malcolm was an adorable one. Who knows, they might also end up becoming skilled debaters.

* * *

_**Three years later** _

Philip giggled as he handed a kangaroo plush toy to Hilda. This particular plush toy was a present that Malcolm Turnbull gave to Hilda two years back. He giggled because it reminded him of when Theresa told Hilda the story of the debate that she and he had against Malcolm.

"Mummy, daddy, will you ever debate with Prime Minister Turnbull again?" Hilda asked her parents

"Your daddy and I would love to if given the chance!" Theresa told Hilda, "I'm sure your daddy and I could win a debate against him again. Now wouldn't we, Philip?"

"That's right, darling!" Philip told Theresa, "We are going to win against Malcolm Turnbull if we debate against him again!"

"Maybe if you and mummy win, we get a real kangaroo this time!" Hilda quipped, giggling afterwards

"Well sweetie, even if Prime Minister Turnbull gives us a real kangaroo," Theresa said, "we really shouldn't take real kangaroos away from their home, which is in Australia."

"That's okay mummy." Hilda spoke, "Then we get another stuffed kangaroo if you and daddy win!"


	21. Homemade Lunch and Historical Dramas

Philip is cooking some mushroom risotto. He wanted to surprise Theresa, who is currently having a meeting with her cabinet regarding the United Kingdom’s activities after Brexit. Hilda, on the other hand, is seated by the dining table, busy with her colouring book.

“People need hope, people need lovin', people need trust from a fellow man, people need love to make a good livin', people need faith in a helping hand.” Philip sang as he stirred the pot containing the sauce for the mushroom risotto, “Man has always wanted a woman by his side, to keep him company, Women always knew that it takes a man to get matrimony and harmony.”

“Daddy, how long do we have to wait for mummy?” Hilda asked as she coloured a page in her colouring book

Philip then stopped singing to answer Hilda’s question, “We still have an hour until your mummy comes back from the meeting.”

The past few months have been hectic for Theresa since the United Kingdom is fresh from leaving the European Union. The past few months were spent with the government devising plans in order to strengthen the British economy and provide international aid to developing nations.

There were also the negotiations with Scotland and Northern Ireland. Scotland is trying to stage another independence referendum, while Northern Ireland has concerns with the soft border that they share with the Republic of Ireland.

Lastly, the past few months was also spent with the government strengthening the United Kingdom’s relationship with the Commonwealth nations, as the United Kingdom needs them more than ever since it left the European Union.

“Everybody knows that a man who's feeling down wants some female sympathy, gotta have love to carry on living, gotta have love 'til eternity.” Philip sang further as he checked to see if the mushroom risotto is almost done cooking.

“Is the risotto done now, daddy?” Hilda asked

“It’s almost done, sweetie.” Philip answered as he put back the cover of the saucepan containing the mushroom risotto. Philip then proceeded to test the taste of the sauce for the mushroom risotto, saying “Delicious! Your mummy is going to love this!”

“Mummy is gonna be happy!” Hilda quipped as she finished coloring a page.

“Yes sweetie, she will be happy!” Philip told Hilda, “She will be happy with the pasta that I made, and that picture that you just finished coloring!”

“Philip, Hilda, I’m home!” A voice said coming from outside the kitchen. Theresa had already arrived from her cabinet meeting, which had finished an hour earlier than expected.

“Mummy!” Hilda shouted as she got down from her chair. She then ran towards her mother who had just entered the kitchen.

Theresa then lifted Hilda from the ground and proceeded to give her a hug, “Mummy misses you so much!”

“I miss you too!” Hilda answered as she hugged her mother back

“Hey, how about me?” Philip asked as he playfully made a pouting face.

“Of course I missed you too!” Theresa said as she walked closer to where Philip stood with Hilda on her arms.

Philip smiled at Theresa’s response and proceeded to ask her, “Mind if I kiss my lovely wife?”

Theresa smiled back and told him, “The lovely wife says yes.”

Then Philip gave Theresa a peck on the lips which resulted to the both of them giggling. At the sight of her parents having an adorable moment, Hilda said “Aww!”

“Look, our baby finds us adorable!” Philip remarked

“Is that right sweetie, do you find us adorable?” Theresa asked Hilda

“Yes mummy, you and daddy are adorable!” Hilda said with a big grin on her face

“See, our baby does find us adorable!” Philip told Theresa

Theresa then took a look at the pot where the mushroom risotto was being boiled and noticed that the mushroom risotto has already been cooked to perfection, then she said, “Philip, the mushroom risotto already cooked.”

Promptly, Philip turned off the flame of the stove burner that was used for the saucepan containing the mushroom risotto. Then, he proceeded to pour the contents of saucepan to a big bowl. This was followed by Philip stirring the mushroom risotto before seasoning it with salt and pepper.  

Theresa then put Hilda down on a chair in the dining room and then she cleared the table. Then, Theresa spotted the page of the coloring book that Hilda had already finished coloring. It was a picture of a princess that she had finished coloring. The picture was coloured well, which impressed Theresa.

“Sweetie, you colour so well!” Theresa told Hilda

“Thank you mummy!” Hilda said with a toothy smile

“Mummy is going to put these away, alright?” Theresa asked Hilda as she took the colouring book and the crayons from the dining table.

“Alright, mummy!” Hilda answered

Theresa then put the colouring book and the crayons away at a small table just outside the kitchen. Then she returned to the kitchen to find that Philip had already set up the dining table, with the big bowl of mushroom risotto at the middle and a pitcher of water beside it. Each placemat had smaller bowls and a fork, as well as a glass.

Theresa and Philip joined Hilda at the dining table then Theresa asked, “Hilda, would you like to say grace?” and Hilda nodded yes.

“Bless, O Father, Thy gifts to our use and us to Thy service; for Christ’s sake. Amen.” Hilda said as her mum and dad prayed along with her.

The Mays then started to eat their lunch and Philip decided to break the silence by starting a conversation with his wife.

“Theresa darling, how was the meeting?” Philip asked with curiosity

“Philip, it went well.” Theresa said with a smile, “For one thing, we have decided to add more funding to our country’s participation at the Eurovision. We have been doing well in the past few years and we should continue to do so.”

“Well, that sounds really exciting!” Philip said, “Any chance that we can get Ed Sheeran to sign up for representing us at the Eurovision?”

“If Mr. Sheeran himself expresses interest, then the BBC can get him to do Eurovision.” Theresa answered, “I may be Prime Minister but someone’s decision to go to the Eurovision is not something that I should interfere with.”

“Mummy, what else happened?” Hilda asked with curiosity as well

“Well, we talked about sending more funds to developing countries.” Theresa answered, “So that more children in those countries can reach their dreams.”

“Why can’t they reach their dreams?” Hilda asked, shocked at the fact that there are children in some parts of the world who do not have the means to achieve their dreams.

“Well you see, things like poverty and war try to stop them from doing so.” Theresa explained, “But with our help, things like poverty and war in those parts of the world happen less, and more children can reach their dreams.”

Hilda seemed contented with the answer and went back to finishing her mushroom risotto. Philip and Theresa continued to talk as they ate lunch and after lunch was finished, Theresa, Philip and Hilda washed the plates and utensils together. After which, they headed on to the living room where Philip put on a historical drama on Netflix. They were watching the latest episode of The Crown.

The episode that they watched revolved around Queen Elizabeth II’s first royal audience with Prime Minister Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

“One would like to congratulate you for becoming the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.” Queen Elizabeth II, who was played by Olivia Coleman said.

“Your Majesty, I am honored to become the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,” Margaret Thatcher, who was played by Meryl Streep said, “and I am much honored to become the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during your reign.”

“I always remember how Lady Thatcher was so fond of the Queen!” Philip commented, “She has looked up to Her Majesty to the point that when Her Majesty was crowned, she managed to write an article praising her.”

“I could still remember the day when Lady Thatcher became Prime Minister.” Theresa said, “It was a beautiful sight – the first female Prime Minister taking office during the reign of a Queen.”

“Indeed, we are privileged to have witnessed such historic event!” Philip remarked

“Mummy, why were there no female Prime Ministers before Lady Thatcher?” Hilda asked Theresa

“Well you see sweetie, people back then thought that women could not lead, despite the fact that we’ve already had a Queen before Her Majesty.” Theresa explained, “Then a lot of people, like Emmeline Pankhurst, Her Majesty and Lady Thatcher changed everything, and now, there are female leaders all over the world.”

“Mummy, when you met the Queen, was it like what happened in the telly?” Hilda said as she pointed to the television, that was now showing a scene of Margaret Thatcher discussing to the Queen about the reforms that she will bring to Britain.

“Well yes, sweetie.” Theresa told Hilda, “The Queen and I were talking about important things like reforms. Her Majesty needs to know these things since she has to act on the advice of the government, which represents the British people. The Queen makes sure that the interests of the British people are respected in the process.”

“That my dear, is what makes us a constitutional monarchy.” Philip explained to Hilda, “In a constitutional monarchy, the monarch decides on things, but he or she must make sure that the British people’s interests are considered."

“We became a constitutional monarchy after the Glorious Revolution of 1688.” Theresa told Hilda, “Laws such as the Bill of Rights of 1689 and the Act of Settlement 1701 made it so.”

“Wow, so that’s how our monarchy works!” Hilda said in awe

“Yes sweetie, that’s how our monarchy works.” Theresa replied

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Theresa, Philip and Hilda watching historical dramas and documentaries after they had finished watching the latest episode of The Crown.


	22. A Friday Afternoon of Conversations

“Alright sweetie, daddy is going to knock on the door to your mummy’s office.” Philip told Hilda as he prepared to knock the door to Theresa’s office with his left hand, “You hold on to the basket full of scones, alright!” he added as he handed the basket of scones that was on his right hand.

Hilda nodded and received the basket of scones from her father, holding on it with both of her hands. Philip then knocked the door to Theresa’s office thrice. Amber Rudd, the Deputy Prime Minister answered the door.

“Hello there Philip, and Hilda!” Amber said as she opened the door, “What brings you two here?”

“These scones are for mummy!” Hilda said as she brought up the basket of scones for Amber to see better

“That’s right.” Philip told Amber, “Hilda and I decided to bring something special for Theresa.”

“We’ve just finished our meeting!” Amber said, “Well, let’s get you two inside, shall we?” she added as she led Philip and Hilda into Theresa’s office.

* * *

“This is delicious!” Theresa said as she took a bite from a scone after putting some jam on it

“Only the best scones for my dearest wife and the mother of our daughter!” Philip told Theresa, “I used your mother’s recipe to make those scones. I hope you liked it!”

“Liked it?” Theresa spoke, “I love it! Philip, you’ve baked amazing scones. Mum would be so proud of you if she were alive today! This tastes exactly like the scones she made!”

“Theresa is right, these are really good scones!” Amber said as she took a bite from her scone.

“Mummy, this is so yummy!” Hilda exclaimed as she took a few more bites from her scone.

“I’m happy that the three of you love the scones that I baked.” Philip told Theresa, Hilda and Amber

“You know, Philip should do the catering next time we have a cabinet meeting.” Amber suggested

“I’m not exactly the best cook around.” Philip said, “I do need to improve my cooking skills before I can think about doing catering on the side when I’m not occupied with my job as a banker.”

“Philip has been busy learning some new recipes lately.” Theresa told Amber, “Sometimes, I even come home from work to find that he has cooked dinner for us.”

“He makes yummy mushroom risotto!” Hilda exclaimed

“Yes, that’s his signature dish!” Theresa said, “And it is the best mushroom risotto that I have ever had!”

“Nothing but the best for my girls, of course!” Philip said with a smile.

“You’re really blessed to have such a supportive family!” Amber told Theresa

“A strong and stable family leads to a strong and stable nation, after all!” Theresa said with a smile. Her family is always behind her back, especially during the times when she makes major decisions as Prime Minister.

Larry, the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office then made his entrance into Theresa’s office. This led to Hilda standing up and scooping the cat into her arms as soon as it went near the table where she, her parents, and the Deputy Prime Minister have seated.

“Hello Larry!” Hilda said as she ruffled the cat’s fur, “What brings you here?”

The cat then meowed.

“Mummy, I think he wants a scone!” Hilda told Theresa

Theresa then took a scone from the basket and fed it to Larry, who seemed to find the baked treat delicious.

The cat meowed once again after nibbling on the scone.

“He says the scone is yummy!” Hilda remarked

Then the cat went back to nibbling the scone before he meowed yet again.

“And he says thank you, too!” Hilda said

“Philip, the cat likes your scones!” Theresa told Philip, who then stood up and went near Larry

“Is that true, do you like the scones?” Philip asked the cat, who responded to him with a meow

“Well, that’s a meow of approval there.” Amber said

After Larry had finished nibbling on the scone that Theresa fed him, Hilda set him down on the floor and then Larry proceeded to curl up afterwards. Theresa, Philip and Hilda then went back to their respective seats.

“So Theresa, how are you doing today?” Philip asked Theresa

“A bit hectic but manageable, overall.” Theresa answered, “Amber and I were able to get around to discussing most of the things in our agenda today.”

“I’m glad that your day is going well!” Philip said. Hearing positive news from his wife always lifted his spirits.

“And how about you and Hilda? How are you two doing today?” Theresa asked Philip, and Hilda as well

“I taught Hilda how to play Monopoly.” Philip said as he tried to stop himself from laughing

“I won!!!” Hilda said in a victorious tone

“She is a fast learner, Theresa, I swear!” Philip told Theresa, who was amused at the fact that her husband had decided to teach their daughter how to play Monopoly, “After explaining to her the rules of the game, she got the hang of it easily and five minutes into the game, she has already amassed a lot of Monopoly cash!”

“Well, she did learn to play the board game from an investment banker!” Theresa quipped, “That’s why she got a hang of the game easily!”

Amber laughed at what Theresa told her husband when he told her about Hilda being a fast learner at the game of Monopoly. Amber always enjoyed these moments when Theresa would talk about her family life. The previous chat that she and Theresa had after a meeting, Theresa had told her about how Hilda wanted a hamster after seeing the hamsters of the children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in person after joining an Easter Egg Hunt hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Clarence.

* * *

Theresa, Philip and Hilda decided to take a trip down to Islington before going back to Maidenhead. The Leader of the Opposition had asked them to come over to his house so that he could give them some of the produce from his allotment. His allotment had yielded a lot of produce so he had to ask his colleagues in the Parliament if they’d like to have some of the produce.

Theresa then knocked on the front door of the Leader of the Opposition’s house. This was the first time that she and her family had been here. A few minutes later, the Leader of the Opposition himself answered the door and greeted his guests.

“Prime Minister, how nice of you and your family to come over!” Jeremy Corbyn, the Leader of the Opposition told Theresa and her family, “Come in! I can’t wait to give you the produce from my allotment!”

Jeremy then led Theresa and her family into the living room of his home. Just then, Laura Alvarez, his spouse, emerged from the kitchen with the basket containing the produce for the Prime Minister and her family.

“Hello Prime Minister! Hello Mr. May and Hilda!” Laura said as she set down the basket of produce on the center table of the living room, “I hope the three of you like these.” She added, referring to the basket of produce containing raspberries that she just set down on the center table of the living room.

“These are definitely just what we need!” Theresa told Laura, who was delighted at her response.

Theresa, Philip and Hilda then took a seat on the couch of the living room as Jeremy and Laura did the same.

“How is Hilda doing, Prime Minister?” Jeremy asked Theresa. Hilda was after all, his biological granddaughter, and despite the fact that his niece had given her up for adoption three years ago, he and his spouse really did care about how the girl was doing with her adoptive family.

“Hilda is doing well as always!” Theresa responded, “In fact, her father had taught her how to play Monopoly today and…”

“…I won, Uncle Jelly!!!” Hilda exclaimed as she raised both of her arms up in the air

“Apart from that, she has been interested in history lately.” Theresa stated, “You see, we would watch historical documentaries and dramas, and visit historical sites as well.”

“My favorite is the Kensington Palace!” Hilda told Jeremy, “It’s where George, Charlotte, Louis and Melissa live!” she added, referring to the children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Clarence, whom she has started a friendship with

“Has she been hanging out with the royal children?” Laura asked curiously

“Well, they have met once during the Easter Egg Hunt at the Kensington Palace’s gardens.” Theresa explained, “And the children invited her over to play with them after the egg hunt.”

“George has pet hamsters!” Hilda told Laura with excitement, “I asked mummy and daddy if I could have one but they said that I can’t because we already have Larry and Larry would just cause trouble to a hamster because it’s a rodent.”

“Your parents are right, _hija_.” Laura said to Hilda, “Larry is a cat after all, and cats and rodents like hamsters do not really get along.” Laura knew that by experience because she has seen El Gato chase the rats out of the house multiple times.

“I’m okay with having Larry as our pet for now, Aunt Laura!” Hilda told Laura with a big smile, “He’s very adorable and cuddly, just like George’s pet hamsters, except he’s way bigger!”

“I’m glad to hear that Hilda loves cats!” Jeremy remarked. One of the things that he had hoped for, after all, was that his granddaughter would share his love for cats.

“Hilda loves dogs as well!” Philip said, “In fact, Theresa and I have been thinking of getting her a pet dog soon.”

“There’s a pet shelter here in my constituency.” Jeremy said, “You might consider wanting to take a look around for a dog for Hilda.”

“We’ll let you know when we’re going to drop by that pet shelter to find Hilda a dog.” Theresa responded, “For now…”

“…Larry will do!” Hilda said with glee, much to the laughter of her mother and father.

El Gato then walked into the living room and jumped straight up to Laura’s lap. Hilda then walked to where Laura was seated to have a better look at the cat. “This is El Gato.” Laura said, “He’s part of our family.”

“Wow!” Hilda said with awe, “He looks so adorable!”

“Indeed, he’s adorable!” Jeremy said, “Would you like to hold him?”

“Yes please!” Hilda said.

Laura slowly handed El Gato over to Hilda, then she helped Hilda in holding El Gato in her arms. Luckily, El Gato did not squirm out of Hilda’s arms, which was a good sign. Hilda then cooed at the cat and ruffled its fur before returning him to Laura, who was now the one holding the cat in her arms as Hilda returned to where she was seated.

“About these raspberries,” Jeremy spoke, “A fun fact! We use these raspberries from my allotment to make jam.”

“How do you make jam?” Hilda asked curiously. She knew that jam is made in a factory and shipped off to the supermarket before it reaches the cupboards at home, but she did not know how jam was made.

“That’s a good question!” Jeremy said, delighted that Hilda has also taken interest in jam making (or perhaps, she was merely curious about how jam is made), “The first thing you do is to wash the raspberries, then you simmer them in a shallow pan of water until it is tender. Then you add in some sugar and stir until it dissolves and bring it to the boil for ten minutes. When that’s all done, you spoon the jam into a jar and then seal it.”

“Awesome!” Hilda remarked, then she said, “Mummy, daddy, can we make our own raspberry jam too?”

“Of course, sweetie!” Theresa said as she ruffled her daughter’s hair, “We’ll make some raspberry jam tomorrow morning, how does that sound?”

“Sounds exciting!” Hilda replied. One of the things that excites her is when she gets to cook some food with her mother and father. Previously, they’ve made some pancakes for breakfast, then they’ve also baked some carrot cupcakes one weekend.

“That would be a great way for us to bond on a Saturday morning!” Theresa said with glee

“We really hope the jam we’ll be making turns out well!” Philip added

“I’m sure it will.” Laura replied, “After all, Jeremy and I take good care of our crops and we only use organic fertilizer for it.”

“and because we do take good care of our crops, the produce that comes out of it are definitely delicious and nutritious!” Jeremy added

After that, the Mays said their goodbyes to Jeremy and Laura and then they made their way back to Maidenhead with their raspberries. They are surely going to have an amazing weekend ahead, especially now that they will try making some homemade jam!


	23. Homemade Jam and Kite Flying

“Mummy! Daddy! Wake up!!! We’ve gotta make some raspberry jam!!!”

Theresa and Philip were awoken by the sound of their daughter being excited about making homemade raspberry jam. The day before, the Mays dropped by Jeremy Corbyn and Laura Alvarez’s home in Islington to pick up the raspberries that they have given them, and they had decided to make jam out of the raspberries.

The Prime Minister and her husband slowly sat up on the bed to join their daughter who was already wide awake and sitting on the bed between the both of them. The excitement on Hilda’s face was very evident, and Theresa figured that she has been grinning out of excitement since waking up.

“Good morning sweetie!” Theresa told Hilda as she tucked some of the young girl’s hair behind her ears

“Good morning mummy!” Hilda said as she hugged her mother

“Good morning love!” Philip told Theresa, giving her a peck on the lips afterwards

“Good morning to you as well, love.” Theresa told Philip, giving him a peck on the lips as well

“And good morning to you, sweetie!” Philip told Hilda

“Good morning daddy!” Hilda said as she hugged her father

“Now, let’s get up!” Theresa told Philip and Hilda, “We’ve got some breakfast to take and some raspberry jam to make!”

* * *

After Theresa, Philip and Hilda made the bed, the three proceeded to the kitchen to prepare their breakfast. Theresa and Philip mainly did the cooking and the setting of the table, with Hilda helping around when necessary. The result of the cooking that Theresa and Philip did (with the help of Hilda) were pancakes, hashed browns, fried eggs and bacon.

Breakfast was then followed by washing up the dishes, and after which, the moment that Hilda’s been waiting for has arrived – making the raspberry jam!

Philip then helped Hilda up on a small stool chair so that she could reach the kitchen counter. Then, Theresa laid the ingredients for the jam on top of the kitchen counter – two cups of raspberries (which have already been washed), a cup of cold water and a 3 ounce package of sugar-free raspberry flavored gelatin. Three jars, which will serve as containers for the jam once it has been made, were also placed on the kitchen counter

Theresa then put the two cups of raspberries on a saucepan, after which she said, “Now, the first thing that we’ve got to do according to this recipe is to crush these raspberries.”

“Here’s a potato masher that we can use to crush the raspberries!” Philip said as he picked the potato masher up from the kitchen drawer

“Excellent!” Theresa remarked, “Now, we can start crushing the raspberries!”

Philip then helped Hilda crush the raspberries on the saucepan with the potato masher. It was only the first part of the process of making jam but Hilda was already enjoying it, which delighted Theresa and Philip. They were happy to know that they’re raising a daughter who shares their love for cooking.

“The next thing we’ve got to do is to add the cold water and the gelatin.” Philip said, reading aloud from the recipe.

Hilda then took the cup of cold water and poured it into the saucepan and said, “I’ve added the water!”

“Very good!” Philip said, clapping afterwards.

Theresa then added the gelatin into the saucepan and after which, she said, “Now that we’re done crushing the raspberries and adding cold water and gelatin into the mix, the next thing we’ve got to do is to boil the mixture.”

The next thing that Theresa did was to move the saucepan on top of the stove, where she started boiling the mixture over medium heat. Philip, with Hilda now on his arms, watched intently as Theresa stirred the mixture. Theresa then reduced the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for two minutes.

When the mixture was finished boiling, Theresa moved the saucepan back to the kitchen counter with oven mittens and then Philip took a ladle from the kitchen drawer and handed it over to her. “Now, we’re going to put the jam into the jars.” Theresa said, “We’ll have to be very careful since the jam is still hot.”

Philip then removed the lid of the first jar and then Theresa helped Hilda fill that jar with the freshly boiled jam. Then, Philip set aside the first jar which was now filled with jam. The same process was repeated for the second and third jars of jam. The jars of jam were then left to cool for a few minutes, after which, the jars were covered with their lids and then stored inside the refrigerator.

“Did you enjoy making the jam?” Theresa asked Hilda

“I did!” Hilda said with a big grin, “We should do that again!”

“Of course, sweetie. We’ll make more homemade jam soon!” Theresa told Hilda

* * *

That afternoon, Theresa and Hilda were at the living room, where Theresa was braiding her daughter’s hair, when Philip entered the living room carrying a blue single line kite.

“Love, I’ve found the kite that we used when we went kite-flying back in Oxford!” Philip told Theresa with excitement as he walked in front of her and their daughter

“That’s great!” Theresa said with awe as she saw the kite that she and her husband used to fly when they were still in Oxford, still being in good condition despite the fact that it had been decades since the last time that they’ve gone kite flying using that kite, “I’m delighted to see that the kite is still in good condition even though we haven’t gone kite flying with that kite for decades!”

“Honestly, I thought that we would never get to go kite flying with this kite again!” Philip remarked

“Mummy, daddy, can you teach me how to fly a kite?” Hilda asked. She had seen people fly kites at a park in London, but she has never flown a kite herself.

“Of course, sweetie!” Theresa said, “Daddy and I will teach you how to fly this kite.”

“In fact, your mummy and I can teach you how to fly this kite right now!” Philip said, “After all, this afternoon’s weather is perfect for kite flying.”

“Let’s head out to the backyard now, shall we?” Theresa said as she reached out both of her hands for her daughter and her husband to hold on to.

The three then walked out to the backyard hand in hand and when they got there, Philip and Theresa started teaching Hilda the basics of flying a kite. Theresa and Philip helped Hilda hold the kite by the bridle and when the kite finally caught wind, they let go of the bridle and then held on to the line of the kite which they pulled in order to keep the kite airborne.

“You know what’s amazing?” Philip mused as he watched Hilda pay close attention to the kite, “The fact that this day would come that we would be able to teach our child how to fly that kite.” He added, pointing out to the airborne blue kite.

“I never thought that this day would come that we would be able to teach our child how to fly that very same kite that we flew decades ago.” Theresa remarked, “It was really a good idea for us to keep the kite as a keepsake of our days at Oxford as we were able to teach our nephews and nieces how to fly that kite after we married, and now, we’re teaching our own child how to fly that kite!”

“Mummy! Daddy! This is fun!” Hilda said as she continued to observe the kite that she and her parents were flying.

“You know Hilda,” Philip told Hilda, “When your mummy and I were dating, we would fly that kite every Saturday afternoon, especially when the weather is this good.”

“And kite flying is one of the many things that brought your daddy and I closer while we were dating.” Theresa told Hilda, “Along with cricket and debating, of course!”

“And now, kite flying is bringing us closer as a family.” Philip added

* * *

After flying the kite, the Mays decided to sit on the garden swing at the backyard where they decided to spend the rest of the afternoon having conversations and telling stories to each other. Theresa and Philip had purchased that garden swing when Hilda arrived in their lives, as they figured out that it would be a good addition to the backyard for times like this.

“You know, we should really go kite flying more often.” Theresa told Philip, “Perhaps we can do it in London next time.”

“We could go fly the kite at the Kensington Gardens!” Philip suggested

“Kensington Gardens! That’s near where George, Charlotte, Louis and Melissa live!” Hilda said, “Mummy, daddy, can we ask them to fly kites with us?”

“I think that can be arranged.” Theresa remarked, “Your daddy and I will ask their parents if we can invite them to go kite flying with us.”

“Yay!!!” Hilda said with glee. She is excited to see Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Princess Melissa once again.

The Mays had a wonderful Saturday, from making homemade jam in the morning, to flying a kite in the afternoon – and now, a playdate has been planned for Hilda when the family goes kite flying next time in London.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The jam recipe in this chapter is based off [this recipe for sugar-free Strawberry Jiffy Jam](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/20888/sugar-free-strawberry-jiffy-jam/)


	24. Mother's Day 2019

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Philip and Hilda surprise Theresa on Mother's Day with a breakfast that includes the homemade jam they made

Theresa May woke up to a surprise from her husband and daughter – the surprise was breakfast in bed for Mother’s Day. The breakfast that Hilda and Philip fixed for Theresa consisted of gluten-free waffles topped with the raspberry jam that they made the day before and sunny side-up eggs on the side. The breakfast was served with English breakfast tea. Philip and Hilda also brought their own servings of the food that they served Theresa, and for their drinks, Philip had the same drink as his wife while Hilda had some orange juice.

“This is delicious!” Theresa remarked as she took a bite of the waffle, “Thank you so much for fixing this up for breakfast, you two!”

“You’re welcome dear!” Philip said, “Anything for my lovely wife and the mother of our daughter!”

“We love you, mummy!” Hilda told her mother, “Happy Mother’s Day!”

“Thank you, sweetie!” Theresa said, ruffling Hilda’s hair and kissing her forehead afterwards

“You know, making the jam yesterday was a wonderful decision.” Philip said as he took a bite from his waffle, “It goes really well with the waffles!”

“I agree, our homemade raspberry jam goes well with the waffles!” Theresa commented as she took another bite of the waffle.

“At this rate, we can give Jeremy Corbyn a run for his money in the homemade jam department.” Philip said, laughing heartily afterwards. What Jeremy Corbyn did not realize was that by suggesting to the Prime Minister and her wife that they make jam out of the raspberries he and his wife gave them, he already has competition in the Parliament when it comes to jam making.

“Perhaps we should ask my colleagues at the Parliament to rate our jam and the jam that Jeremy and Laura make.” Theresa said with a hearty laugh as well.

“That would be another majority for the Conservatives, my dear.” Philip said, “After all, we’ve made sugar-free jam that _works for everyone_. When will Jeremy Corbyn ever?”

Theresa laughed once again at what Philip said and then she said, “Jeremy Corbyn makes jam _only for the few and not for the many._ ”

“Quite contradictory to what he and his party stands for, isn’t it?” Philip asked

“This is why I’m Prime Minister and he isn’t.” Theresa said in response, which led to her, Philip and Hilda bursting into laughter.

“Mummy, I’ve got one more surprise for you.” Hilda said as she reached into the drawer of the side table, “It’s a card for you!” she added as she handed over the Mother’s Day card that she made for her mother.

Theresa then received the Mother’s Day card that her daughter made. The card was white in color with flower stickers on the border and “Happy Mother’s Day” written at the center with a pink marker. When Theresa opened the card, this was the text written on the first half of the card with a pink marker as well:

_Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance._

_– 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (New Living Translation)_

Then, on the second half of the card, this was the text that was written, also using a pink marker:

_Happy Mother’s Day to the best mummy in the world! I love you!_

_-Hilda_

Below the text that was written on the second half of the card was a drawing of Theresa with Philip and Hilda which was drawn with crayons. Theresa felt really touched by the card made by her daughter, and she could not help but ask, “Did you make this all on your own?”

Then Hilda told her, “I did, with some help from daddy.” Nevertheless, Theresa was still proud of her daughter for making a card that beautiful and she was fine with the fact that Hilda needed her father’s help in making the card, since after all, she is only learning how to write.

“It’s the thought that counts, sweetie.” Theresa assured Hilda, “Mummy is still proud of you for making this card even if you had some help from your daddy.”

“Hilda was really invested in making that card.” Philip mentioned, “In fact, she was the one who picked out that bible verse on the card!”

“Because you love me so much like what the bible verse says!” Hilda told Theresa with the biggest grin on her face

“Oh, Hilda sweetie, mummy loves you so much!” Theresa said as she wrapped Hilda in a hug, “And mummy will always love you!”

“I love you always too!” Hilda replied as she hugged her mother back

* * *

The church service has just ended and it was always tradition for the Mays to stick around to talk to fellow churchgoers after the service has ended. Since it was Mother’s Day, most of the conversations that they had with churchgoers involved Mother’s Day greetings and conversations about motherhood.

“Happy Mother’s Day, Mrs. May!” Mrs. Edwards, one of Theresa’s constituents said, “and May the Lord always bless you and your family!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Edwards!” Theresa answered, “Happy Mother’s Day and May the Lord bless you and your family always, as well!”

“Happy Mother’s Day, Mrs. Edwards!” Hilda told Mrs. Edwards

“Thank you, Hilda!” Mrs. Edwards told Hilda, “May the Lord Bless always bless you!”

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Edwards!” Hilda told Mrs. Edwards, “May the Lord Bless you too!”

“Mrs. Edwards, Happy Mother’s Day to you!” Philip told Mrs. Edwards

“Thank you, Mr. May!” Mrs. Edwards told Philip, “May the Lord always bless you and your family!”

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Edwards!” Philip replied, “and May the Lord always bless you and your family as well!”

“Hello Mrs. May!” Mrs. Morgan, another fellow churchgoer said, “Happy Mother’s Day!”

“Happy Mother’s Day to you, Mrs. Morgan!” Theresa told Mrs. Morgan in response

“Mrs. May, I really just admire the fact that you can manage being a mother while being the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the same time!” Mrs. Morgan told Theresa, “Your dedication for your family and for the nation is really admirable!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Richards!” Theresa told Mrs. Morgan, “I also admire how you are able to manage being a mother while being a nurse at the same time!”

“I appreciate those remarks!” Mrs. Morgan said, “Not many people appreciate nurses these days and I’m glad to know that you are still among the good people in this world who appreciates the work that we do.”

“Mrs. Morgan, you are just as important as the Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister.” Theresa told Mrs. Morgan, “This nation cannot stand without people making sure that its people are in good health.”

“Hello there Hilda!” Mrs. Morgan said upon noticing Hilda who was standing next to her mother, “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing fine, Mrs. Morgan.” Hilda told Mrs. Morgan, “Happy Mother’s Day!” she added

“Thank you, Hilda, that is very kind of you!” Mrs. Morgan remarked

“Hi, I’m Zoe!” Zoe, Mrs. Morgan’s three year-old daughter said as she walked towards Hilda

“Hi Zoe!” Hilda replied, “I’m Hilda!” she added as she and Zoe shook hands

“Happy Mother’s Day, Mrs. May!” Zoe told Theresa after shaking hands with Hilda

“Thank you, Zoe!” Theresa told Zoe

“You’re welcome, Mrs. May!” Zoe said, skipping back to her mother’s side afterwards

“Mrs. May, we’ve got to go now.” Mrs. Morgan told Theresa, “We’re still going to pay a visit to mum at the nursing home. We hope to see you and your family again next Sunday!”

“We hope to see you and your family again next Sunday, as well!” Theresa told Mrs. Morgan, who then left the church grounds with her husband and daughter.

The Mays then went around to talk to more people and along the way, Hilda made some more friends among the children who went to church with their families on that day. Soon after, the May’s left the church grounds and went out for lunch, after which, they drove to Wheatley to pay a visit to the grave of Zaidee, Theresa’s mother.

* * *

The Mays entered the church grounds of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Wheatley. Hilda was carrying a basket of roses that was to be placed on her grandmother’s grave. Theresa was carrying the grave lantern that was to be placed on her mother’s grave while Philip carried the matches. When they arrived at the grave, Hilda put down the basket of roses by the grave of her grandmother while Theresa and Philip took charge of lighting the grave lantern.

After which, the Mays paid their respects to Zaidee by saying their prayers, which was followed by a few minutes of solemn silence. It had been thirty-seven years since Zaidee passed away and Theresa and Philip could not help but wonder how Zaidee would react after finding out that she now has a granddaughter.

“Mummy, is granny in heaven now?” Hilda asked Theresa

“Yes sweetie, granny is now in heaven.” Theresa told Hilda in a solemn voice, “But she is watching over us even if she is already in heaven.”

“Mummy, what was granny like?” Hilda asked Theresa. She had always wondered how her grandmother would have been like if she were still alive. She knows that grandmothers tell lots of stories and have lots of gifts for their grandchildren after Prince George, Prince Charlotte, and Prince Louis told her stories about their grandmother, the Queen.

“Well, your granny was a very kind and loving person.” Theresa told Hilda, “She always looks out for her loved ones, even when she does not feel well. Not to mention that she also makes the most delicious food!”

“What kind of food does granny cook?” Hilda asked out of curiosity

“A lot of food! Her scones are the best!” Theresa told Hilda

“Does granny braid your hair?” Hilda asked

“Granny braided my hair when I was your age.” Theresa said, “She also taught me how to braid hair for when I finally have my own children.”

“So that’s why you braid my hair well!” Hilda remarked

“Of course, sweetie!” Theresa told Hilda, “All thanks to your granny!”

“Does granny tell you stories too?” Hilda asked

“Yes, she does!” Theresa said, “In fact, your granny tells a lot of amazing stories! I’ve always loved them!”

“What were your favorite stories from her?” Hilda asked

“Your granny used to tell me the story of how your great great grandmother Amy would knit woolen squares and send them to children in Africa.” Theresa told Hilda. This story was one of the things that constantly inspired Theresa to continue with her good work of leading the British Government in helping children from underprivileged nations, “And she also told me the story of how your great great grandmother Violet would cheer up everybody around her!”

“Did granny teach you how to fly a kite?” Hilda asked

“Oh, she did!” Theresa told Hilda, “In fact, the kite that your granny, grandpa and I used to fly was made by your granny. She makes the best kites as well!”

“Wow, that’s amazing!” Hilda said in awe

“I bet mummy would be happy to find out that Hilda has learned how to fly a kite.” Theresa mused

"I’m sure she will be proud of us and of Hilda.” Philip responded

The Mays stayed on for a few more minutes before they drove back home to Maidenhead. It was always a tradition for Theresa and Philip to visit Zaidee’s grave every Mother’s Day and since three years ago, they were now practicing the tradition with their daughter.

* * *

After passing by Waitrose to pick up a tub of Oppo Choco Chip Cookie Dough ice cream, Theresa, Philip and Hilda were now seated on the couch in their living room. Each of them had a small bowl containing a serving of the ice cream that they bought in Waitrose earlier on. They were watching a Mother’s Day special on the telly as they ate their ice cream.

“This is such a wonderful Mother’s Day, isn’t it?” Theresa said

“It sure is!” Philip answered

“Getting to spend the day with you two is best Mother’s Day gift ever!” Theresa told Philip and Hilda, “I could not ask for more!”

“You’re the best mummy ever!” Hilda told Theresa

“And you are the best daughter ever!” Theresa told Hilda

Even though it has already been three years since she first became a mother, Theresa could not help but feel happy and grateful about the fact that she and her husband had finally been given the chance to raise a child – and getting to celebrate Mother’s Day as a mother makes Theresa even happier and more grateful for the gift that God has given her and her husband – the gift of parenthood.


	25. A Meeting, A Surprise and A Reunion

_Bute House, Edinburgh, Scotland_

“Prime Minister, a second independence referendum is imminent at this point.” Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland said with a steely voice, “The people of Scotland have determined that a second independence referendum is the best course for Scotland to remain in the EU, now that the United Kingdom has officially left the European Union.”

It has been a few months since Article 50 was officially triggered and as a result, the sentiment for Scottish independence has gone stronger than ever. Polls released after the United Kingdom officially left the EU suggested that more people in Scotland were likely to support a second independence referendum.

“The United Kingdom may have left the EU, but we have not left Europe.” Theresa May, the British Prime Minister said, “Which means that Scotland still has its place in Europe.” Theresa knew very well that Scotland’s place in Europe is something that is of concern for Nicola Sturgeon and the people of Scotland.

“But Prime Minister, thanks to Brexit, trade between Scotland and the EU nations has become more complicated!” Nicola argued, “Not to mention, the immigration process that Scottish citizens have to undergo when visiting the EU has become more complicated as well.”

“In case you have forgotten, the United Kingdom managed to negotiate with the EU for free trade between the UK and the EU to continue even after we have left the EU.” Theresa responded, “And the same goes for immigration policy!”

The United Kingdom managed to negotiate a deep and comprehensive free trade agreement with the European Union which enabled it to gain more control over its affairs as a nation while being able to have close relations with the European Union at the same time.

* * *

“Tag, you’re it!” Hilda said as she tapped Andrew, Nicola Sturgeon’s son, on the shoulder. This had been the second time they’ve seen each other since his mother brought him along with her when she went to 10 Downing Street for a meeting.

Andrew turned around and chased Hilda down the hall as Hilda burst into laughter while running faster. The two children had been playing tag for the last thirty minutes when they decided that sitting on the chairs inside the First Minister’s office was boring.

“Wait up!” Andrew said as he tried to catch up with Hilda. Hilda only responded by continuing what she was doing, which was running away from him.

Soon after, Andrew picked up pace and continued to chase Hilda down the hall. Hilda on the other hand, dodged civil servants who were walking down the hall as she evaded Andrew. After a few moments, Andrew still could not catch Hilda, and thus, the chase continued.

Hilda then ran into the First Minister’s office where the meeting between her mother and Andrew’s mother had just finished. Andrew, who was running behind her, ended up stumbling into the office as Hilda, who was still standing, giggled at him.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Andrew said as he stood up from the ground

“Well, you were it and you didn’t get to catch me!” Hilda said with confidence as she crossed her arms, “So it’s still fair!”

“Looks like our children were playing a game of tag while we were having a meeting!” Nicola said as she walked towards Hilda and Andrew who were now making faces at each other.

“Now, how are you two doing?” Theresa asked Hilda and Andrew

“Mummy, we had fun playing tag!” Hilda said with joy on her face

“The game of tag was fun!” Andrew added, “And Hilda runs really fast!”

“That’s why he can’t catch me!” Hilda said with a giggle, sticking her tongue at Andrew afterwards.

“Oh, our children are surely having some friendly competition here!” Theresa told Nicola

“Mummy, can we invite Andrew over to London?” Hilda asked her mother, “Then he can play with more kids, like George, Charlotte, Louis and Melissa!” she added, referring to the children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the child of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

“Looks like my daughter here is really in favor of Scotland staying in the United Kingdom.” Theresa quipped with a giggle, “You should really reconsider your plans for another independence referendum in Scotland.”

“If you think it’s that easy for you to change my mind on the independence referendum, I believe you’re wrong.” Nicola said with a chuckle, “I have always been for Scottish independence, even before the devolution happened.”

“However, you are not against the monarchy.” Theresa replied with a knowing smile on her face.

“I’m not quite sure about having my son socialize with the Queen’s great-grandchildren.” Nicola said. Despite not being against the Queen or the Monarchy, Nicola was not a big fan of the Monarchy either so the idea of his son socializing with the royal children was not really something she was keen of.

“Mummy will try to convince your Aunt Nicola to let Andrew hang out with you and the Queen’s great grandchildren.” Theresa said as she held her daughter’s hand.

The door to the First Minister’s office then opened up, with the secretary walking in and saying “Ruth Davidson wanted to see you.” to Nicola.

“Alright, let her in.” was Nicola’s response.

Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, then walked into the office with her five month-old daughter, Meredith, in her arms.

“Hello Ruth.” Nicola said with cordiality, “And hello there wee Meredith!” she added in a cute voice as she held the baby’s hand, leading to the baby giggling at her.

“Hello Nicola.” Ruth said as she adjusted her hold on her daughter, “I take it that you are still convincing the Prime Minister to let you have your independence referendum.”

“Well yes.” Nicola replied, “and she’s convincing me to let my son socialize with the children of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and the child of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.”

“If I were you, I would not pass up that opportunity!” Ruth told Nicola, “William and Kate, and even Harry and Meghan have such sweet children. I’ve met them a few times and they never fail to charm the people around them!”

“That’s three of us now saying that you should consider letting Andrew socialize with the Queen’s great grandchildren.” Theresa commented, “Now, what do you say Nicola?”

“Please Aunt Nicola.” Hilda said as she looked up to Nicola with her beady brown eyes

“Please mummy, can I go play with Hilda and her friends in London?” Andrew asked as he held on to his mother’s hand.

Nicola then looked at her son and told him, “Mummy will let you play with Hilda and her friends in London the next time we visit London. Is that okay?”

“Yes mummy!” Andrew said, hugging his mother afterwards

“Well, there we have it!” Ruth said, “Looks like Theresa, her daughter, your son and I managed to convince you!”

“If anything happens to my wee Andrew, you and Theresa are going to be in big trouble!” Nicola playfully said, although she would be likely to tell Theresa and Ruth off if the playdate doesn’t go smoothly.

* * *

Philip made his way towards the entrance of the Bute House. Since he didn’t have so much to do at work on that day, he was able to spend the rest of the day off from his work, and thus, he decided to go to Edinburgh to surprise his wife and daughter.

Theresa and Hilda were on their way out of the Bute House when they encountered Philip, who had a bouquet of flowers on one hand, and a teddy bear wearing a white top and a kilt.

“Hello Philip, I wasn’t expecting to see you here!” Theresa told her husband as she hugged him

“I didn’t have much to do at work today, so I got to spend the rest of the day off.” Philip explained as he hugged his wife back, “and I decided to book a flight to Edinburgh to surprise you and our lovely little lass.”

“You’re such a sweet man, aren’t you?” Theresa told Philip

“And these are for you!” Philip said as he handed Theresa over the bouquet and the box of gluten free Empire Biscuits, “I got you a bouquet of flowers, and a teddy bear!”

“Thank you, Philip! That is very thoughtful of you!” Theresa said as she took the bouquet of flowers and the teddy bear from her husband.

As Theresa, Philip and Hilda made their way down the steps of the Bute House, a familiar face approached them. It was no other than Theresa’s former spad, Fiona Hill.

“Theresa, Philip, Hilda!” Fiona called out as she ran up to the three, “I’m so happy to see the three of you!”

“Fiona, it’s nice to see you too!” Theresa told Fiona, who was very overjoyed with seeing her former boss, and her former boss’ family on that day.

“Aunt Fiona!” Hilda said as she ran up to Fiona, holding her hand, “I miss you!”

“Aunt Fiona misses you too, wee lass!” Fiona said, “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing fine!” Hilda said with a toothy grin, “How are you?”

“I’m doing fine too!” Fiona replied

“So, what are you doing lately?” Theresa asked Fiona

“I’ve been contributing to magazines and newspapers and now, I’m doing an interview for Holyrood magazine.” Fiona said with glee, “I just finished interviewing a Scottish Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament and I was just walking by Charlotte Square when I saw you three coming out of the Bute House.”

“I’m glad to know that you are happy with your work!” Theresa told Fiona

“I’m also collaborating with Owen Jones on a piece for The Guardian, and while we don’t see each other eye-to-eye most of the time.” Fiona said, “I’m glad to say that we’re actually getting along well. In fact, he says that he’s learned a lot of things from me.”

“That’s really good to hear!” Theresa said, “I do hope the collaboration that you two do would lead to the both of you understanding each other’s politics better. Not to mention that what you two are doing would help a lot in uniting this country and making it stronger than ever, especially now that our country has already left the EU.”

“Theresa’s right!” Philip added, “You and Mr. Jones are helping this country as political journalists and I hope that you two will be able to convince the British people to set their differences aside for the betterment of our nation.”

“Theresa, Philip, that’s really kind of you two to say those things!” Fiona said, “Mr. Jones and I are very excited for this collaboration and I promise that we will do the both of you proud!”

“Aunt Fiona, do you want to go with us?” Hilda asked

“Well, I do not have much to do anymore so…” Fiona replied, “Would it be alright if I tagged along with you three?” she asked Theresa, Philip and Hilda.

“We would be happy to have you along with us!” Theresa told Fiona

“That’s right, we would be happy for you to join us!” Philip added

“Thank you!” Fiona said with glee as she joined the Mays for the rest of the day

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The teddy bear mentioned in this chapter is based on this one: <http://www.plushpaws.co.uk/user/products/large/Highlander.jpg>


	26. A Shopping Trip and a Castle Visit

The Mays decided to stop by a shop in Edinburgh’s Royal Mile that was selling handmade goods. The shop sold items like handmade clothes, accessories, decorations, toys and mugs. The shop was manned by two shopkeepers – a man and a woman. There were also five other people who helped them man the shop. They walked up to a counter at the shop which had a variety of rings, bangles, necklaces and bracelets displayed on top of it.

“Good day!” A woman who was one of the shopkeepers said, “Welcome to our shop! Is there anything in this shop that you three might be interested in?”

“We were just taking a look at the rings, bangles and bracelets that you’ve put on display.” Theresa said as she lifted Hilda up so that she could have a better look at the accessories displayed on the counter.

“These accessories on display were just made earlier today by our apprentices.” The female shopkeeper said, “We’ve got five apprentices currently, and they’ve all done an amazing job with crafting these accessories!”

“I can clearly see that.” Theresa said as she admired the accessories on display which were made by the five apprentices mentioned by the female shopkeeper.

“The apprentices have been with us for a couple of weeks already.” The female shopkeeper went on, “My husband, who runs this shop with me, and I, have decided to start taking in apprentices because we want to help these young people secure a better future as craftsmen and craftswomen.”

“That is so nice of you and your husband to make such decision.” Theresa said, “And by the way, I haven’t gotten your names.”

“I’m Gladys.” The female shopkeeper said, “and my husband, Angus, is manning the counter behind you three.”

“Hello there!” The male shopkeeper said as he waved his hand, “Our shop is lovely, isn’t it?”

“It’s lovely, indeed.” Theresa remarked. She always found shops selling handmade goods to be lovely, and she always made sure to visit one whenever she was travelling around the United Kingdom.

Then, a man and a woman entered the shop and the Mays were able to recognize them – the woman being Fiona Hill, Theresa’s former Special Adviser, and the man being Owen Jones, the famous Labourite journalist.

“Good morning sir!” Fiona told Angus, “Are Gladys and Angus Paterson around? Owen and I are here to interview them for a piece we’re doing about emerging businesses in the UK.”

“Gladys is over there.” Angus told Fiona as he pointed out to Gladys, “I’m her husband, Angus.”

“Hello there!” Gladys said to Fiona and Owen, “You two must be Fiona Hill and Owen Jones! Welcome to our shop!”

“We’re glad to be here!” Fiona told Gladys, “and thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed by us!”

“Angus and I are honored to be interviewed by you two!” Gladys said to Fiona.

Fiona then walked closer to the counter where the Mays were taking a look at the accessories on display. This is the second time that she has come across them while she is in Edinburgh, the first time being the previous day when she was walking by Charlotte Square.

“Hello Theresa! Hello Philip!” Fiona said while waving her hand at them, “and hello there, Hilda!”

“Hello Fiona!” Theresa, Philip and Hilda said in unison as they waved their hands at her

“It’s so terrific to see you here!” Theresa told Fiona, “and I see that Mr. Jones is with you. Is this for the piece that you two are doing?” She added, referring to Owen Jones.

“Yes, indeed!” Fiona told Theresa, “We’re doing an interview with selected businesses at the Royal Mile here in Edinburgh as part of our piece.”

“That’s interesting!” Theresa remarked. She was excited to find out how the piece that Fiona and Owen are working together would look like.

“Mrs. Paterson, if you don’t mind, can we start with the interview?” Fiona asked Gladys.

“Since I still have to attend to these lovely customers,” Gladys told Fiona and Owen, referring to the Mays, “Perhaps you could go ahead and start the interview with my husband first, and I’ll catch up in a while.”

“I think that’s a good plan!” Owen told Gladys. He was very excited to conduct the interview with the Patersons, especially because he had read about how they were helping underprivileged youth by taking them in as apprentices.

“Owen and I would like to let you know that we’d love to show you three around Edinburgh after we do the interview with the Patersons!” Fiona told Theresa, Philip and Hilda

“Just give us a call when you’re done with the interview.” Theresa told Fiona, “We’ll be here until the end of the day.”

“Perfect!” Fiona said, “We hope to see you later!” she added.

Then, Fiona and Owen walked to the opposite side of the shop where Angus stood, and they started their interview with him.

“Now, which one of our creations are you interested in?” Gladys asked with excitement in her voice as she turned her attention back to Theresa

“I’ve taken a liking to that wooden bangle with a leopard print.” Theresa said as she pointed to a bangle on display with a leopard print that was made of wood.

Gladys then handed the leopard print wooden bangle over to Theresa who inspected the said bangle. The leopard print on the bangle was painted by hand intricately. Gladys was hoping that the Prime Minister would purchase the bangle as many people had taken interest on the accessories sold in her shop, only to walk out without buying anything because they were put off by the price.

“I am getting this one!” Theresa told Gladys, whose face perked up in glee as soon as she heard the five words that meant that the bangle was getting sold.

“Thank you so much!” Gladys said, “Before anything else, is there something else you’d like to get from this shop?”

“I want this one!” Hilda piped up as she held up a ragdoll with brown hair and a pink dress. Hilda then ran up from the corner of the shop where the ragdolls were displayed to where her mother stood, while Philip, who had a mug on hand, followed behind.

“Well then, my daughter wants this ragdoll too.” Theresa said as she handed the ragdoll that Hilda gave her over to Gladys.

Philip arrived back at the counter where his wife and daughter stood and put the mug that he held on to on the counter. The mug had the lyrics of 500 Miles by The Proclaimers painted on it.

“I’d like to get this mug!” Philip said with excitement after putting the mug on the counter

“Looks like we’ve gotten amazing items from this shop!” Theresa remarked

“You three have made excellent choices!” Gladys said, “Now, let me just scan the barcodes of these items.”

Meanwhile on the opposite side of the shop, Fiona and Owen were now in the middle of interviewing Angus, who was happy to answer their questions. The two were now asking Angus about the direction that the shop will be taking now that Brexit has taken place.

“We have now exited the European Union, does that affect your business in any way?” Fiona asked Angus.

“The United Kingdom exiting the European Union isn’t going to pose a negative impact on this business.” Angus said with confidence, “Especially now that Britain has secured a Brexit deal that allows us to continue trading with the EU, and at the same time, we now have more freedom to trade with the rest of the world.”

“That’s interesting to hear!” Owen told Angus, “Now, the UK exiting the EU has become an opportunity for local British businesses to break into the global market. Do you and Gladys have any plans to export the products in this shop?”

“Gladys and I are considering on taking that as a next step in expanding our business.” Angus explained, “As of now, we have already worked on expanding our business through promotion – we join trade shows, we give special discounts to tourists from outside the UK, and we run social media accounts for this shop.”

The Mays had already paid for the items they bought, which were packed by an apprentice of the store into a cardboard shopping bag. Gladys then handed the cardboard shopping bag over to the Mays.

“Thank you so much for coming to our store!” Gladys told Theresa, Philip and Hilda, “I really hope you three would come back here soon!”

“We would love to shop here again!” Theresa said with glee, “I hope you and your husband have a good day!”

“May you three have a good day too!” Gladys replied with a smile. Then, she walked over to the opposite side of the shop to join her husband who was still being interviewed by Fiona and Owen.

* * *

“This is one of the best places to go to if you want to see a stunning view of Edinburgh!” Fiona told Theresa, Philip and Hilda as they looked at the view that was the city of Edinburgh from the Edinburgh Castle. They had just finished touring the castle and now they decided to admire the scenery of Edinburgh from the castle’s observation deck.

“I’ve been here many times and seeing Edinburgh from this castle still never ceases to amaze me!” Owen said, “This castle is the crown jewel of Edinburgh, not just because it literally has the crown jewels on display, but also because this castle offers the best view of Edinburgh and is the most well-known landmark in the city.”

“Such an amazing place, isn’t it, Philip?” Theresa asked her husband. They were holding each other’s hands as they admired the breathtaking view of Edinburgh.

“Indeed, it’s such an amazing place!” Philip told Theresa, “What better way to spend some time with my family than to visit this beautiful place!”

Going to historic places and going to mountains and hills were two of the many things that the Mays do as a family. Visiting the Edinburgh castle gave them the opportunity to go to a historic place and go to a hill.

“Mummy, daddy, look at those buildings and trees!” Hilda said as she looked at the scenery of Edinburgh in awe while being carried by Fiona so that she could have a better look at the view of Edinburgh.

Theresa and Philip then looked at the direction that Hilda was pointing at, where they saw a cluster of buildings with trees in front of them.

“Looks like our daughter finds this place amazing too!” Philip commented with glee.

“She is surely enjoying this tour!” Theresa commented as she watched Hilda listen intently to Fiona and Owen who were pointing out the important landmarks that could be seen from the Edinburgh Castle’s observation deck.

“and that’s Princes Street Gardens. It’s a public park.” Owen said as he pointed the Princes Street Gardens out to Hilda, “and right there, you can see a small cottage.”

“That cottage is called The Gardener’s Cottage.” Fiona said, “It was built in 1886 by Robert Morham.”

“Wow!” Hilda said as she looked towards the small cottage, “It looks like a house, does somebody live there?”

“The Head Gardener of the Princes Street Gardens used to live there, but now, nobody lives there anymore.” Fiona told Hilda, “The cottage is more like a museum these days.”

“Can we go there?” Hilda asked Fiona and Owen

“For now, it’s closed to the public.” Owen explained, “But when you and your mummy and daddy would come back here to Edinburgh, you could ask them to take you there.”

“Mummy, daddy,” Hilda called out to her parents, who then turned towards her direction.

“What is it sweetie?” Philip asked her daughter

“Can we go to The Gardener’s Cottage next time?” Hilda asked as she pointed at The Gardener’s Cottage

“Of course, sweetie!” Theresa told Hilda, “We’ll visit The Gardener’s Cottage next time we’re here!”

“Looks like we should get going.” Fiona told the Mays and Owen, “Theresa, Philip and Hilda still have a flight to catch.”

Fiona then slowly put Hilda down so that she could walk back to her parents. Then, Hilda walked back to her parents, after which, she held her mother’s hand with her left hand and her father’s hand with her right. The Mays then walked together with Fiona and Owen walking right beside them. The five then made their way out of the Edinburgh Castle.

The Mays enjoyed their trip to a shop at the Royal Mile and visiting the Edinburgh Castle for the first time and they could not wait to see more of Edinburgh the next time they return!


	27. Father's Day 2019

The Mays have just finished attending the Sunday church service and they had just finished mingling along with the churchgoers right after the church service. Now, they were having lunch in their home in Maidenhead.

“Daddy, I’ve got a surprise for you!” Hilda told her father

“Well, what is it, sweetie?” Philip asked

Hilda then stood up from her chair at the dining room and ran into the living room. When she returned, she had a card in hand which had “Happy Father’s Day” written in front with a blue marker. Hilda then handed the card over to Philip who opened the card to read its contents which had this text written with a blue marker on one half of the card:

_There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love._

_-1 John 4:18_

And on the other half of the card, this was the text written with a blue marker as well:

_Happy Father’s Day to the best daddy in the world! I love you!_

_-Hilda_

Below that text on the second half of the card was a drawing of Philip with Theresa and Hilda drawn using crayons. Philip could not help but marvel at the effort that Hilda put for her Father’s Day card.

“Hilda, thank you for this card!” Philip said, ruffling Hilda’s hair and kissing her on the forehead afterwards, “You’ve done great in making this card!”

“You’re welcome, daddy!” Hilda replied

“Did you make the card yourself, sweetie?” Philip asked Hilda

“I did!” Hilda said, “and mummy helped me a bit!”

“I still appreciate it!” Philip replied, “It’s the thought that counts, after all!”

“Hilda spent hours making that card, you know.” Theresa told Philip, “and she picked that bible verse for the card!”

“Because you always protect us, like what the bible verse says about unconditional love!” Hilda told Philip

“Oh, Hilda sweetie! Daddy loves you so much!” Philip told Hilda

Theresa then went inside the kitchen and when she went back to the dining room, she brought with her a freshly-baked carrot cake which was a favorite of Philip’s.

“Here’s a freshly-baked carrot cake for my lovely husband and the father of our daughter!” Theresa said as she set down the carrot cake on the dining table, “Happy Father’s Day, dear!”

“Thank you, love!” Philip told Theresa

“We love you daddy!” Hilda told her father

“Thank you, sweetie!” Philip told Hilda

“Now, let’s have some cake, shall we?” Theresa told Philip and Hilda, after which, Philip sliced the cake, giving one slice each to Theresa and Hilda before getting a slice for himself.

“This cake is really delicious!” Philip said as he took his first bite from his slice of the cake

“Daddy is right, this is delicious!” Hilda told her mother

“You always make the best carrot cakes!” Philip told Theresa

“Thank you, you two!” Theresa told Philip and Hilda

* * *

After lunch, the Mays decided to make a trip to Wheatley to visit the grave of Theresa’s father, the late Reverend Hubert Brasier. When they arrived at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, they made their way to the grave of Hubert. Hilda then put down the basket of roses on top of her grandfather’s grave as Theresa and Philip set up the grave lantern.

The Mays gave their respects to Hubert by saying a prayer for him, which was followed by a few minutes of solemn silence. Even though it has been three years since Theresa and Philip became parents to Hilda, they still could not help but wonder how Hubert would react to finally having a granddaughter.

“Is grandpa in heaven now?” Hilda asked her parents

“Yes sweetie, your grandpa is now in heaven.” Theresa answered

“He is always watching over us.” Philip added

“Mummy, what was grandpa like?” Hilda asked her mother

“Well sweetie, your grandpa Hubert was very kind to his parishioners. You see, he was a vicar.” Theresa told Hilda, “and with his job comes with the responsibility of being there for his parishioners whenever they need him – whether they need prayers or advice.”

“Does he like to watch cricket like you and daddy?” Hilda asked out of curiousity

“He loves watching cricket, in fact, he introduced me to the sport.” Theresa explained, “Your grandpa Hubert and I would listen to the Test Matches on the radio, and we would watch them on the telly too.”

“Does grandpa love carrot cakes like daddy does?” Hilda asked

“Well, your grandpa loves carrot cakes too.” Theresa told Hilda, “and your grandma Zaidee used to make him carrot cakes on special occasions.”

“Does he talk about politics too? Like what you and daddy do over dinner?” Hilda asked

“Your grandpa Hubert talks about politics over the dining table, along with your grandma Zaidee.” Theresa explained, “Your grandpa Hubert taught me that public service means helping others and setting aside your differences with them and that has always guided me, even now when I’m Prime Minister.”

“Wow!” Hilda said in awe, “Grandpa must be proud of you being Prime Minister!”

“I’m sure he is.” Theresa told Hilda, “and I’m also sure that he’s proud that you’ve made friends with people from different walks of life.” She added, referring to the fact that Hilda has befriended children from Nicola Sturgeon’s son, to the royal grandchildren, and to the children in Maidenhead.

“I’ve got to agree, he would be proud of us, and of Hilda too.” Philip mused

After staying for a few more moments, the Mays left the church grounds of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin. Visiting the grave of Hubert every Father’s Day was also a tradition for Theresa and Philip, a tradition which they had started to practice with their daughter since she came into their lives.

* * *

The Mays passed by a bakery in Maidenhead to buy some Jaffa cakes before heading home. When they arrived at home, they decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at the living room where they watched history documentaries and movies based on historical figures and events.  

Philip could not help but feel grateful that God had given him and his wife the chance to become parents when Hilda arrived in their lives, and celebrating Father's Day made him feel even more grateful for the gift of parenthood.


	28. A Morning at the Animal Shelter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theresa and Philip adopt a dog for Hilda

_June 21, 2019 – Burford, West Oxfordshire_

“Which dog would you like to adopt, Hilda?”

Theresa and Philip brought Hilda to the Blue Cross’ Burford Rehoming Centre after they had decided that Hilda could have a dog. It has been years since Theresa and Philip last had a dog and having a dog once again after a long time, and having their daughter share their love for dogs with them, was something they are excited about.

Chelsea, a volunteer for the animal shelter was the one who showed the Mays around the part of the animal shelter where the dogs were situated. Hilda then pointed out to a Chocolate Labrador puppy in the kennel, “That one!”

“That’s Chloe!” Chelsea said, turning to Theresa afterwards to say, “She’s a two-month old Chocolate Labrador puppy that has been with us since a month ago and she’s a perfect addition to your family! She’s gentle with people so she’ll get along with you and your family fairly easily.”

“Well then Hilda, looks like Chloe is the perfect choice!” Theresa told Hilda

“Labradors need a lot of outdoor space and they need to be taken for walks regularly as well.” Chelsea explained

“You’ve got nothing to worry about that, Downing Street has a garden big enough for the puppy to move around in, and we’ve got a garden big enough for the puppy at our home in Maidenhead as well.” Theresa told Chelsea

“And we’ll make time to walk the puppy regularly.” Philip added

“Now that we’ve got the matching sorted, the payment of the rehoming fee is the next thing you should do.” Chelsea told the Mays, “the rehoming fee is £200 since the puppy is still under four months old. The cashier is right that way, Mr. & Mrs. May” she added as she pointed Theresa and Philip to the direction of the shelter’s cashier’s office.

Theresa and Philip then walked with Hilda to the cashier’s office where they paid for the rehoming fee of the Chocolate Labrador puppy that they are about to adopt. After paying for the rehoming fee, they returned to the part of the animal shelter where the dogs were situated and then Chelsea gave them a few reminders before handing over Chloe to them.

* * *

After picking the puppy up from the animal shelter, the Mays headed to Waitrose to buy a dog bed, as well as some supplies for her.

“So, which dog bed would you like to pick for Chloe?” Philip asked Hilda as he carried Chloe with the bag-like dog carrier that was provided by the animal shelter

“That one!” Hilda said, pointing out to a medium-sized dog bed with leopard prints all over them

“Well then, let’s get that one for the puppy, shall we?” Theresa said, prompting Philip to put the dog carrier down so that he can get the dog bed from the display racks.

Then, the Mays proceeded to the check-out counter to pay for their purchases which included the dog bed, a collar and leash, a feeding bowl, dog food, dog treats, shampoo and some chew toys.

“That would be £88.” The woman at the check-out counter said after punching in the items and packing them up

Theresa then took out her wallet and gave the woman a £100 note, the woman then gave her a change of £12. The Mays then left Waitrose and drove back to Maidenhead.

* * *

Theresa had returned from a meeting with her constituents and when she walked into her home, she was met by the sight of Hilda toting Chloe around while Philip followed her. She could see the happiness in her daughter’s eyes as she bonded with the family’s newly-adopted puppy.

“Hello love!” Philip said with glee, “It’s nice to have you back home!”

“I’m glad to be home, love!” Theresa said as she hugged her husband, giving him a peck on the cheek afterwards.

“Hello mummy!” Hilda said as she walked closer to her mother, “Chloe and I had so much fun!”

“That’s nice to hear sweetie!” Theresa said as she hugged her daughter, kissing her on the forehead afterwards

“Can we play with Chloe at the backyard!” Hilda told her mother

“Sure sweetie!” Theresa said, “Philip darling, can you get the tennis ball for the dog?” She added, turning to her husband

“Of course, love!” Philip said, making his way to the storage room of the house to get the tennis ball for the puppy to use.

Theresa and Hilda then headed out to the backyard where Hilda put Chloe down so that she could run around the backyard. Philip then joined them at the backyard with the tennis ball in hand.

“Hilda sweetie, shall we play catch with Chloe?” Philip asked Hilda as he showed her the tennis ball on his palm

“Sure daddy!” Hilda said with excitement

“Your mummy and I are going to teach you how to play catch with Chloe.” Philip said

“Now Philip, may I have the tennis ball?” Theresa asked

“Sure, love!” Philip said as he handed the tennis ball over to Theresa

“Listen carefully to your daddy and I, okay?” Theresa told Hilda

“Okay mummy!” Hilda responded with glee on her voice

“Alright then,” Theresa said, “The first thing you do is walk near Chloe.” She added as she walked closer to Chloe, with her husband and her daughter following behind.

“Then, you call over the dog.” Philip said

“Chloe!” Hilda called out

“Then, you throw the tennis ball like this.” Theresa said as she threw the tennis ball forward, “and say “Catch!”

Chloe then chased the tennis ball and played with it using her paws for a few moments. Philip then walked towards Chloe and took the tennis ball after Chloe had finished playing with it. He then washed the tennis ball with water from the garden hose before joining his wife and daughter.

“Would you like to try playing catch with Chloe?” Theresa asked Hilda

“Sure mummy!” Hilda said.

“Here’s the tennis ball.” Philip said as he handed the newly-washed tennis ball over to Hilda

Hilda then stood behind Chloe and threw the tennis ball forward, after which, she said “Catch!”

Chloe then sprinted towards the tennis ball and did the same thing she did when Theresa showed Hilda how to play catch with her. Then, Hilda and Chloe continued to play more rounds of catch as Theresa and Philip watched over her.

“Our daughter surely is happy with our new puppy!” Philip mused as he looked at Hilda play catch with Chloe

“She sure is!” Theresa said with glee, “It’s so amazing that we’ve been blessed with a daughter after waiting for so long, and now, we’ve been blessed a dog again after so many years. God is really amazing!”

“Indeed, He is.” Philip said, affirming what his wife had just said

Theresa and Philip were grateful to God that he had continued to bless the family that they have formed. From having a daughter three years back, now, they have a dog as well, which they have not been able to have for a long time. They hoped that as a family, they will have a strong bond with Chloe for the years to come.


	29. A Summer Reception at the Country

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theresa May hosts a summer reception at Chequers

_July 12, 2019 – Chequers Court, Buckinghamshire_

Theresa May hosted a summer reception at Chequers which was attended by members of her Cabinet, civil servants, Conservative MPs, some members of the Royal Family as well as some special guests.

Among the special guests was Melania Knauss, formerly known as Melania Trump. She had divorced the President of the United States the previous year and moved to the United Kingdom along with her son, Barron.

At this point, she worked as a personal dresser in London, and lives in a flat in the city that was rented out to her by the Mays. The flat was formerly occupied by the Mays when Theresa was still Home Secretary.

“Melania, this is Sarah, Duchess of York.” Theresa said, “Sarah, this is Melania Knauss, a personal dresser.”

“Pleased to meet you, Sarah.” Melania told Sarah as she shook her hand

“Prime Minister, I’d like to say that I had been looking for a personal dresser now that I’m starting to become more active again with the royal duties.” Sarah told Theresa, “Perhaps, Ms. Knauss here would like to work for me.”

“How does that sound, Melania?” Theresa asked Melania, who was now visibly excited about working for a high-profile person.

“That sounds amazing!” Melania said, “I am more than happy to be your personal dresser!”

“Congratulations Ms. Knauss,” Sarah said as she extended her hand to her, “you’ll now be working as my personal dresser!”

Melania then shook Sarah’s hand, and in that moment, Melania felt that her life was making a 180 degree turn for the better.

* * *

At the gardens in Chequers, Hilda joined Prince George, Princess Charlotte and their cousin, Princess Melissa. Their parents had brought them along for the summer party, and thus they were also dressed for the occasion.

Princess Charlotte was clad in a red summer dress while her older brother, Prince George, had a red button-up top and a pair of khaki slacks on. Princess Melissa wore a peach summer dress while Hilda wore a blue summer dress.

Barron, who was also brought along by his mother, joined them. He was also dressed for the occasion in a black suit and a red tie.

“Barron, this is Princess Charlotte.” Hilda said, “and Princess Charlotte, this is Barron, Aunt Melania’s son.”

“Hello Barron!” Princess Charlotte said with a smile as she reached out her hand, “It’s nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you, Your Royal Highness!” Barron said as he held Princess Charlotte’s hand, doing a curtsey afterwards

This led to Princess Charlotte giggling, owning to the fact that Barron was much taller than her but now, they were of the same height when he did his curtsey. Prince George, Princess Melissa and Hilda also giggled along.

Princess Charlotte then proceeded to run, with Barron still holding on to her hand. The two ran down the stairs that led to another part of the garden, where most of the guests were situated in. Prince George, Princess Melissa and Hilda followed along.

Princess Charlotte then stopped running when she reached where her mother and father stood at, along with her grand aunt, Sarah, her grand uncle Andrew, her aunt Meghan and uncle Harry, and the Prime Minister and her husband. Then, she and Barron let go of each other’s hands.

“Hello there, Charlotte!” Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge said upon noticing her daughter, “It seems that you have made a new friend!” she added as she looked at Barron, who stood right beside her daughter.

“His name is Barron.” Charlotte told her mother, “He’s Aunt Melania’s son.”

“Good afternoon, Your Royal Highnesses.” Barron said, curtseying to both Kate and William, “I’m Barron Knauss, it is a pleasure to meet you two.” He added as he shook the hands of both royals

“I see that you have met our daughter,” William, the Duke of Cambridge, told Barron, “as well as our son.”

“Yes sir, I’ve met them both.” Barron said with confidence

“Well then, I hope you’ll maintain a good friendship with them both.” Prince William said

“I definitely will, sir.” was what Barron told the Duke of Cambridge, who was impressed at Barron being polite – completely an opposite to his father, who broke royal protocol when he met his grandmother the previous year.

“Melania’s son is such a sweet lad, isn’t he?” Kate commented after Barron spoke to her husband

“I think our children will find a good friend in him.” William replied, “After all, they might be seeing him more often since his mother now works as Aunt Sarah’s personal dresser.”

* * *

Hilda, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Princess Melissa and Barron were now gathered around by the gardens after Princess Charlotte had introduced Barron to her parents. They were talking about the things that interest them.

“Do you play any sports?” Princess Charlotte asked Barron as Hilda, Prince George and Princess Melissa listened intently, waiting for Barron to answer.

“Well, I play football.” Barron told Princess Charlotte, “and I want to play in the Olympics and in the World Cup when I’m older. How about you?”

“I do horse riding and when I’m older, I want to compete at the Olympics.” Princess Charlotte said, “I play football and tennis too!”

Barron was impressed at the fact that Princess Charlotte did not play one, but three sports. He knew that he’d get along well with her because of their shared interest in sports, particularly in football.

“Wow! You play a lot of sports!” Barron said with awe, “What other things can you do?” he added

“I can speak Spanish!” Princess Charlotte said with a smile.

“Can you say something in Spanish?” Barron asked Princess Charlotte, wanting to hear how she’d sound like speaking Spanish.

“ _Me caes bien_.” Princess Charlotte told Barron

“What does that mean?” Hilda asked Princess Charlotte

“I just told him that I like him.” Princess Charlotte replied

“Looks like my sister likes being friends with you.” Prince George told Barron with a laugh

“I’m glad to hear that!” Barron said with a smile

“How about you Barron, do you know another language?” Princess Charlotte asked Barron

“I can speak Slovenian and French aside from English.” Barron told Princess Charlotte.

“Well then, can you say something in Slovenian?” Princess Charlotte asked Barron

Barron then cleared his throat and said, “ _Tudi ti si meni všeč._ ”

“What does that mean?” Princess Charlotte asked, curious about what Barron just said

“It means that I like you too.” Barron said with a smile

“How about in French,” Princess Charlotte said, “Say something in French!”

“Here goes…” Barron said, “ _Tu es incroyable!_ ”

“and what does that mean?” Princess Charlotte asked again

“It means that you’re amazing.” Barron told Princess Charlotte as he looked into her eyes. Hilda did the same as well.

“You two look so adorable!” Hilda said as she looked at Princess Charlotte and Barron look into each other’s eyes.

“Hilda is right, you two look so adorable!” Prince George said. After which, he, Hilda and Princess Melissa started to giggle.

For the rest of the summer reception, the children had fun talking about many things and playing games. Hilda and the royal children were happy to gain a new friend that day.

* * *

After the summer reception had finished, Theresa, Philip and Hilda were now at the living room in Chequers – along with their dog, Chloe, whom they’ve brought along for their stay in Chequers over the weekend. Hilda was now talking to her parents about the summer reception.

“Mummy, Barron and Princess Charlotte were holding hands at the summer reception.” Hilda told her mother, “Like you and daddy hold hands when you two walk together.”

“Oh my.” Theresa commented, taken by surprise at the fact that Barron and Princess Charlotte seem to have a liking for each other.

“Mummy, they said they both play football!” Hilda said, “and, they were saying nice things to each other in different languages and they looked at each other’s eyes.”

“It seems like they are getting along really well!” Theresa told Hilda

“I think they have a crush on each other!” Hilda told Theresa with glee

“Perhaps they do,” Theresa told Hilda, “But they are still too young to date and marry, and so are you.”

“Your mother is right,” Philip told Hilda, “You, and the royal children, and Barron, are still too young for those things.”

“The right time will come for those things,” Theresa told Hilda, “But for now, you should be doing the things that are appropriate for your age like studying, playing with your friends and spending time with your family. Is that understood?”

“Yes mummy!” Hilda said with a smile

“That a girl!” Theresa said, ruffling her daughter’s hair then kissing her on the forehead afterwards

The Mays then took their dinner and then they spent the rest of the night talking about so many things and watching a movie on the television. They enjoyed the entire day and they could not wait to have more adventures over the summer!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Me caes bien. = I like you (friendly)  
> Tudi ti si meni všeč = I like you too  
> Tu es incroyable! = You're amazing!


	30. Walking in Stockpole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mays go on a walk during their holiday in Wales

_Stackpole, Pembrokeshire, Wales_

The Mays were on a holiday in Wales and they decided to visit Stackpole, an estate which is known for its beaches, walking trails and wildlife. Since Stackpole was a dog-friendly place, they were able to bring Chloe along with them.

“Mummy, where are we going?” Hilda asked with curiosity as she, her mother and father and Chloe made their way out of the car park

“We’re going to the Bosherston Lily Ponds.” Theresa said as she held her daughter’s hand

“Are there lots of flowers there?” Hilda asked, “And fishes?”

“Yes sweetie, there are lots of flowers there, specifically lots of water lilies.” Theresa explained to Hilda, “and of course, there are fishes in the pond!”

“What else are there?” Hilda asked

“There are swans and otters too!” Theresa told Hilda

“I can’t wait to see those!” Hilda said out of excitement

The Mays then followed the path to the lake, taking a left. They then crossed the western arm of the lake by the Bosherston causeway. Hilda looked in awe as she saw the water lilies that lined the lake.

“Mummy, Daddy, look at those water lilies!” Hilda said as she pointed to one of the water lilies in the lake

“They look beautiful, don’t they?” Theresa asked Hilda

“Yes they do!” Hilda replied

“Can we take some home?” Hilda asked her parents

“No sweetie, we can’t take those water lilies home.” Theresa said, “Those water lilies shouldn’t be taken away from its home, which is this lake.”

“If we take away those water lilies,” Philip added, “the wildlife here wouldn’t be able to survive well.”

“It’s like what happens if the tree in our backyard were cut off.” Theresa went on further to explain, “If the tree is gone, the birds that would visit us would have nowhere to stay.”

“So the water lilies must stay in the lake.” Philip said

“Is that clear sweetie?” Theresa asked Hilda

“Yes mummy and daddy!” Hilda replied

The Mays then continued their walk. With Chloe being excited to go onward towards the trail, Philip would time to time, have to keep up his pace with the puppy as she would suddenly speed up. Theresa and Philip have decided to forego putting Chloe on a leash since the walk is only a mile long, although they had brought the dog carrier in case it is needed sometime along the walk.

They passed through the limestone bluff where they saw billowing green mats of rare stonewort on the clear water, and it was also there where they spotted some pike swimming – which they were fortunate to see as pikes only showed up to the surface sometimes. They then went to the path through the bushes on their left which led to the Fishpond Camp, a sight that Philip was particularly excited about.

“This coastal fort was built here over 3,000 years ago.” Philip said as he guided Theresa, Hilda and Chloe along the way, “That was way back when the lakes here were tidal inlets.”

“Wow, that’s a long time ago.” Hilda said out of awe as she absorbed the fact that the Fishpond Camp had been around for such a long time already

“Yup, such a long time ago that this has been here even before your mummy and I were even born.” Philip said, “and even before your grandparents were born!”

After going to the Fishpond Camp, the Mays made their way to the central causeway where they were met with more wildlife – this time, an assortment of insects.

“That my dear, is a dragonfly.” Theresa said as she pointed out the dragonflies to Hilda

“But they don’t look like dragons!” Hilda remarked, leading to Theresa and Philip giggling

“Yes sweetie, those don’t look like dragons.” Philip said, “But people a long time ago thought they were once dragons and that’s how it got its name.”

“How about that one, is that also a dragonfly?” Hilda asked as she pointed out to another flying insect that resembled a dragonfly

“That’s a damselfly.” Theresa answered, “It looks like a dragonfly but unlike dragonflies, it flutters when it flies so it flies slower than dragonflies”

“So it’s not a tired dragonfly?” Hilda asked

“No sweetie, it’s not.” Theresa replied

“And what’s that bird?” Hilda asked as she pointed out to one of the birds that flew by the central causeway

“That’s a swallow, sweetie.” Theresa replied

“And what’s that bird?” Hilda said as she pointed out to another bird

“That’s a house martin.” Theresa replied

“It looks like a swallow with a small tail!” Hilda remarked as she looked at the house martin

“and that’s what sets apart a swallow from a house martin.” Philip explained to Hilda, “A swallow has a long forked tail while a house martin has a short forked tail.”

Theresa and Philip were amused with how interested their daughter was with the wildlife around the Bosherston Lily Ponds. They thought at first that she might find the walk boring, but they are now halfway into the walk and she is enjoying it greatly.

The Mays then turned right at the next junction and descended to the Greasy Bridge, after which, they proceeded towards the sea where they saw more birds.

“See that over there, that is a bittern.” Philip said as he pointed out a bittern to Hilda. Again, The Mays had been lucky to sight some bitterns as they only surfaced sometimes in that area.

“Are there pigs here?” Hilda asked when she heard pig-like squeals

“Oh no sweetie, there are no pigs here.” Theresa said, “The squealing sounds you’ve heard comes from the water rails.”

“Where are they?” Hilda asked as she looked around

“They’re in their homes which are the reeds here.” Philip explained, “But we shouldn’t disturb them, okay?”

“Okay daddy!” Hilda answered

“Water rails aren’t the only birds around here.” Theresa explained, “There are also warblers.”

“What are warblers?” Hilda asked Theresa

“They are much smaller than water rails.” Theresa explained

“Is that a warbler?” Hilda asked as she pointed out to a small bird that peeked out of one of the reeds

“Yes sweetie, that is a warbler.” Theresa answered

“They look so cute!” Hilda remarked, “Can we take them home?”

“We can’t take those warblers home, sweetie.” Theresa explained, “Warblers are meant to live here in the wild. This is their home.”

“Plus, we already have Chloe.” Philip added as he picked up Chloe and handed her over to Hilda

“Okay mummy and daddy.” Hilda said as she scooped Chloe into her arms

Then, the Mays went on to cross over the lake outlet through a narrow stone bridge and then they continued right up the lakeside path, taking care to walk quietly and slowly as this was the way to make it more likely for one to spot the otters that stay along the lake.

“Look mummy and daddy, it’s an otter!” Hilda said in a low voice after spotting an otter along the lake

“Great job, Hilda!” Theresa said, also in a low voice as she spotted the otter that Hilda spotted

“I see more otters!” Hilda said as she pointed out towards a few more otters, just nearby where she spotted an otter earlier on

“There’s a mummy otter and her baby otter.” Theresa said as she pointed out to Hilda the mother otter that was floating on the lake, with the baby otter lying down her chest

“That’s adorable!” Hilda remarked

“You know, when you were still a wee baby, I used to do that with you when we would use the pool at Chequers.” Theresa told Hilda

“We were like the mummy and baby otter?” Hilda asked with awe

“That’s right sweetie!” Theresa said as she ruffled Hilda’s hair

“And your mummy held you tight to make sure that you didn’t fall off into the pool.” Philip said, “Just like what the mummy and baby otter are doing.”

“Can we do that again the next time we go to a pool?” Hilda asked

“Well sweetie, you’re way bigger than you were when you were a baby.” Theresa told Hilda, “So I don’t think we would be able to do that again.”

Hilda then pouted at Theresa, then Theresa told her, “But, mummy can carry you in the pool instead. Would that be okay?”

Hilda then perked up and said, “Yes mummy!”

The Mays stayed a bit longer to spot some more otters, after which, they continued their walk back to the parking lot.

* * *

The Mays were now driving back to where they were staying for their holiday in Wales and they decided to talk about how the walk that they took earlier went.

“Did you enjoy our walk today?” Theresa asked Hilda

“Yes mummy, I did!” Hilda answered, then after which, she turned towards Chloe who was now in her dog carrier, “How about you Chloe, did you enjoy the walk?”

Chloe made a bark of approval after Hilda asked her

“Chloe says she enjoyed the walk.” Hilda told Theresa and Philip

“That’s great!” Theresa told Hilda

“I think we should continue taking walking holidays.” Philip commented, “Especially since Hilda here already appreciates the beauty of taking walking holidays.”

“Perhaps when she’s old enough, we can take her to a walking holiday at the Swiss Alps!” Theresa said, excited at the thought of her and Philip taking their daughter with them to the Swiss Alps to go walking.

“That would be amazing!” Philip remarked

“I’m looking forward to it!” Theresa told Philip

Theresa and Philip were very happy at the fact that their daughter had already picked up their love for going on walking holidays. It was a milestone that was worth celebrating!


	31. Playing Dress-up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hilda plays a game of dress-up

Hilda was rummaging through her mother’s shoe closet, taking out one shoe box after another. She was trying on her mother’s shoes. Though they were obviously too big for her, she tried them on anyway because she liked how the shoes look like – and of course, she wanted to be just like her mummy.

“What are you doing with your mummy’s shoes?” Philip asked as he walked into his and wife’s bedroom while carrying a stack of his clothes.

“I’m wearing them.” Hilda said with a toothy smile, “I want to be just like mummy!”

“Theresa!” Philip called out, “Come over to the room, Hilda’s doing something adorable!”

“I’m on the way!” Theresa said from outside hers and her husband’s bedroom

“Daddy, am I beautiful?” Hilda asked as she shuffled in the pair of leopard print kitten heels that she was trying on

“Of course, sweetie!” Philip said as he was about to open the door to the closet

“Hello love!” Theresa said to Philip as she entered the bedroom with a stack of her clothes on hand, “What’s this adorable thing that Hilda is doing?”

Philip then pointed over to Hilda, who was still shuffling in her mother’s leopard print kitten heels. Hilda looked up to her mother and flashed a toothy smile.

“Now, what are you doing with mummy’s shoes?” Theresa said as she walked towards Hilda

“I want to be just like you!” Hilda said, “So I’m wearing them.”

“Oh sweetie!” Theresa told Hilda, “That’s so adorable of you!”

“She’s been trying out your other shoes too.” Philip commented as he finished putting his clothes into the closet

“I’ve noticed.” Theresa said, noting the fact that she’s seen a number of her shoes, out of their boxes and all over the floor

As Theresa walked towards the closet to put her clothes into the closet, Hilda was now rummaging on her mother’s jewelry box, taking out a pearl necklace and trying to put it on. After a few tries, she managed to put on the pearl necklace. Then, she walked towards her mother and father.

“Look mummy and daddy!” Hilda said, “I’m wearing a beautiful necklace!”

Theresa and Philip then turned their attention towards Hilda, who was not just wearing the leopard print kitten heels, but the pearl necklace as well.

“Looks like our darling baby is having fun playing dress up!” Theresa said, “Aren’t you, sweetie?” she asked Hilda

Hilda continued to smile, answering Theresa’s question.

“Mummy, I want to colour my lips pink, like you always do before you go to work.” Hilda told her mother

“Would you like me to help you put on some lipstick?” Theresa asked Hilda

“What’s a lipstick?” Hilda asked

“It’s what I use to colour my lips pink.” Theresa told Hilda

“Is it like crayons?” Hilda asked

Theresa (and even Philip) could not help but giggle at Hilda asking if lipsticks are like crayons, “It’s like crayons, but it’s for your lips.” Theresa told Hilda.

Theresa then picked up Hilda and set her down on the chair facing the vanity mirror. After which, she opened the drawer of the desk which had an assortment of her make-up. Theresa picked out a baby pink lipstick from the drawer and opened the cap, setting it down on top of the desk. After which, she used a lipstick brush to apply the lipstick on Hilda’s lips.

“There, now I’ve coloured your lips pink!” Theresa told Hilda with joy

“Thank you mummy!” Hilda said, hugging her mother afterwards

Theresa and Philip could not help but look at Hilda with tears of joy. She and Philip have always been longing for moments like this to happen ever since they got married, and now they have finally had this moment.

“You two look wonderful!” Philip said to Theresa and Hilda as he walked over to them with tears of joy in his eyes

“Everything about this is wonderful!” Theresa said also with tears of joy in her eyes as she hugged Philip and Hilda

“Mummy, daddy, why are you two crying? Hilda asked

“Mummy and daddy are just so happy right now!” Theresa answered

“I’m so happy too.” Hilda replied, “I love you mummy and daddy!”

“We love you too!” Theresa and Philip said in unison

Chloe then made her way into the bedroom and ran towards where Theresa, Philip and Hilda were. Then, she jumped up to Chloe’s lap and started to bark.

“And of course, we have not forgotten about you too!” Philip told Chloe, whose tail was wagging in excitement

“We love you too, Chloe!” Hilda told Chloe, hugging her afterwards

“Now, this is even more perfect!” Theresa commented, noting that the entire family was now complete.

“Mummy, can we put some lipstick on Chloe too?” Hilda asked Theresa

“Sweetie, we can’t put lipstick on dogs.” Theresa explained to Hilda, “Lipstick isn’t made for dogs.”

“Your mummy is right.” Philip said, “Lipsticks and dogs don’t go together.”

“Okay mummy and daddy.” Chloe told her parents, “No lipstick for Chloe then!”

The Mays then took Chloe out on a walk at the North Town Moor, after which, they spent the rest of the afternoon watching movies on Netflix while having some ice cream.


	32. Flowers, Scones and Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hilda learns about elections over some scones and tea

Theresa had just arrived in the flat at 10 Downing Street after a cabinet meeting. When she went inside, she was met by her husband, her daughter and the family dog, as well as a box of flowers and a tray of freshly-baked scones.

“Oh Philip, this is such a delightful surprise!” Theresa told her husband as she took a closer look at the box of flowers and the tray of freshly-baked scones.

“Thank you love!” Philip told Theresa, “We just wanted to give you something wonderful today.”

“Do you like the flowers, mummy?” Hilda asked with glee

“Of course, sweetie, I like them!” Theresa said as she lifted up the box of flowers which were made up of roses and petunias.

“Daddy helped me put that together.” Hilda proudly told her mother. She and her father had spent the entire afternoon picking the flowers in the box from the 10 Downing Street garden.

“She really wanted to help out with putting the flowers together in the box.” Philip told Theresa, “so I let her help out and it turned out very well!”

“I am very amazed!” Theresa said, “You and Hilda did a great job with the box of flowers. It looks much better than the ones in the flower shops!”

“Thank you!” Philip answered, “Hilda and I only want the best for you!”

“Mummy, would you like some scones now?” Hilda said as she picked up a scone from the tray, handing it over to her mother

“Yes, sweetie.” Theresa said as she took the scone that Hilda offered to her.

Theresa then put some jam on the scone and took a bite of it. Philip and Hilda watched patiently as they waited for her feedback about the scone.

“Well, how is it love?” Philip asked with excitement.

“It’s so delicious!” Theresa told Philip, “You never fail to make the most delicious scones!”

“Of course, I’ve learned how to make those scones only from the best.” Philip said, referring to Theresa who had taught him how to bake the scones from her mother’s recipe back when they were still dating.

“You are such a pleaser, aren’t you?” Theresa said with a smirk, giggling afterwards.

“Because nothing makes me happy more than seeing you pleased!” Philip told Theresa, giggling as well.

Theresa, Philip and Hilda then started to have more of the scones, taking it along with some tea. As they were having their afternoon tea, they were talking about how their day went.

“We had discussed on expanding the United Kingdom’s foreign relations with its allies.” Theresa told Philip and Hilda, “and Amber Rudd had suggested that we tap into our allies in the Commonwealth, as well as our allies in Asia.”

“If it has anything to do with me signing for a modelling contract in China, I’m afraid I’ll have to turn that down.” Philip said jokingly, referring to the fact that when he and Theresa visited China the previous year, young Chinese fans of his wife called him handsome.

“Don’t worry Philip, having you sign a modelling contract in China is not one of the options.” Theresa said, laughing afterwards.

“Well, thank goodness!” Philip said, sighing in relief. Though he was active in campaigning for his wife, and in supporting her in her duties, he would not go to the extent of signing modelling contracts or appearing in reality shows and the like to be able to do so.

“On the other hand, we’ll be visiting Canada again, right after their federal elections.” Theresa told Philip and Hilda

“What’s a federal election?” Hilda asked, “and why is Canada having it?”

“A federal election takes place so that Canadians can decide if they want to keep their government or not,” Theresa explained, “and Canada is having it because it has been four years since the last federal election, and every four years, they vote to keep their current government, or they vote to replace it with a new one. Though sometimes, an election happens before the four years is up.”

“Do we have that too?” Hilda asked Theresa

“We do, and we call it a general election and it happens every five years, but sometimes, we can call an election before the five years is up, like what I did two years ago, when you were still a baby.” Theresa said.

“Why did you call an election before the five years was up?” Hilda asked

“You see, the first time I became Prime Minister, it was because of a leadership election in the Conservative Party that happened because Mr. Cameron decided to quit serving as Prime Minister after the results of the EU Referendum did not go in his favor.” Theresa explained, “and the British people deserve to have a Prime Minister, and a government that they, and not just a select few, have voted for.”

“How long was Mr. Cameron Prime Minister?” Hilda asked some more

“The government has been Conservative since 2015 when Mr. Cameron became Prime Minister,” Theresa explained, “The first time he was Prime Minister was in 2010, but it was a Coalition government that he headed, rather than a Conservative government.”

“So, he was Prime Minister for six years?” Hilda asked

“That’s right!” Theresa answered

“When is the next election?” Hilda asked with excitement

“That will be three years from now.” Theresa responded

Hilda then counted to three with her fingers, before saying “I will be six years old on the election!”

“That’s right sweetie!” Theresa told Hilda with glee

“Can I vote in the next election?” Hilda asked

“Not yet, sweetie.” Theresa explained, “Children cannot vote yet.”

“I still hope you’ll win the elections and be Prime Minister again.” Hilda told Theresa

“Of course sweetie, mummy will do her very best!” Theresa reassured Hilda

“So, who do you think is going to become the next Canadian Prime Minister?” Philip asked Theresa

“I hope Andrew Scheer becomes Prime Minister of Canada this time,” Theresa told Philip, “He has done an excellent job as opposition leader, and more people have been trusting him compared to the current Prime Minister.”

“Not to mention that his policies would do well for Canada!” Philip remarked

“And of course, do not forget about the fact that he has never used government facilities for his personal use, even when he was the Speaker of the House.” Theresa said, “Unlike the current Prime Minister who had used aircraft owned by the government of Canada for a trip that was not an official government trip.”

“I can’t wait to see how things would go with Mr. Scheer as Prime Minister!” Philip said

“I believe that things would go well with him as Prime Minister,” Theresa told Philip, “and he would be able to strengthen the bond between Canada and the United Kingdom.”

“I agree with you on that.” Philip told Theresa

As Theresa, Philip and Hilda were talking, Chloe started barking as she was eyeing on the tray of scones. The Chocolate Labrador has grown to have a liking for scones ever since the Mays adopted her.

“Here you go, Chloe!” Hilda said as she handed a scone over to Chloe, who happily munched it

“Chloe sure likes her scones, doesn’t she?” Philip remarked

“She sure does!” Theresa told Philip

“Mummy, can we bring Chloe with us when we visit the Prime Minister of Canada?” Hilda asked Theresa

“We’ll see if the Prime Minister would agree to it.” Theresa told Hilda

“Okay mummy!” Hilda responded

The Mays were looking forward for their upcoming trip to Canada that would take place after the Federal Elections, and Theresa and Philip, in particular, felt even more excited knowing that a fellow Conservative has a fair chance of becoming Prime Minister.


	33. A Day of Miracles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theresa and Philip make an important announcement to Hilda

_September 2, 2019 – 10 Downing Street_

“Hilda sweetie, we’ve got something to tell you.” Theresa told Hilda.

Hilda could notice the excitement in her mother’s eyes and she could not help but wonder – are they going to get a new kitten in addition to the Chocolate Labrador puppy that they already have? Are Andrew and Meredith coming over to London? Is Aunt Fiona coming over to visit her?

“You’re going to be a big sister.” Theresa said

“Like George and Charlotte?” Hilda piped up. She knew that George and Charlotte are older siblings to Louis.

“Yes, like George and Charlotte.” Theresa told Hilda, who was now visibly excited over the fact that she was going to have siblings.

“Am I going to have a baby sister or a baby brother?” Hilda asked

“Right now, we do not know yet.” Theresa explained, “When mummy went to have her annual check-up, the doctors said mummy is pregnant with twins, but they couldn’t tell yet if the babies are both girls, both boys or a boy and a girl.”

Theresa had gone to her annual medical check-up and when she had an ultrasound, the doctor who checked her ultrasound results had found that she was now four weeks pregnant, with twins. It seemed like an impossibility as she had already been past menopause but the doctor told her that given the fact that she had undergone fertility treatment before, the effects have carried over even after menopause, and thus, that explained why she was still able to conceive naturally.

That also explained why for the past few weeks, Larry the Cat would start resting by Theresa’s stomach whenever she was seated at the couch of the living room in 10 Downing Street.

“What is pregnant?” Hilda asked her mother

“It’s when a woman has babies, and the babies grow inside the tummy until they are old enough to survive outside of it.” Theresa explained

“So the babies are in your tummy?” Hilda asked in awe

“Yes sweetie, they are in my tummy.” Theresa explained

“Do they look like Meredith?” Hilda asked

“Oh, not yet.” Theresa said, “This is how they look like now.” She added as she handed Hilda over the ultrasound picture.

Hilda looked at the ultrasound picture intently before saying, “They look like beans!”

Theresa and Philip then burst into laughter right after Hilda said that the twins looked like beans in the ultrasound picture.

“Oh Hilda sweetie,” Theresa said, giggling afterwards, “That’s how babies look like when they’ve started to exist, before being born. In fact, you once looked like that before you were born.”

“And even mummy and daddy looked like that once before they were born.” Philip added, giggling afterwards as well.

“We all looked like beans once?” Hilda could not help but ask in awe, grasping the new knowledge that she has just learned from her parents about how a baby looks like during the early stages of pregnancy.

“Yes, sweetie, we all looked like beans once.” Theresa told Hilda, “Then, as the pregnancy progresses, the baby that once looked like a bean starts to have a face, and their arms and legs form too, then finally, they start growing hair and when they’re already born, they look like the babies we see every day.”

“Wow.” was all that Hilda said

“Are you excited for your new siblings, sweetie?” Philip asked Hilda

“Yes!” Hilda said, hugging her mother and father afterwards

* * *

“I am so grateful that God has given us this blessing,” Theresa told Philip, “First, Hilda came into our lives, and now, there are two more babies coming into our lives!”

“God has been very kind to us!” Philip said, “He has made the impossible, possible!”

“There is nothing impossible with God.” Theresa told Philip, “After all, he has made many miracles, like Elizabeth getting pregnant even at an old age.” She added, referring to Elizabeth, the Biblical Figure from the New Testament who became pregnant with John the Baptist at an old age.

“What are miracles, mummy?” Hilda asked her mother

“Miracles are when God makes the impossible things possible.” Theresa explained to Hilda

“And miracles bring us much closer to God.” Philip added

“That’s amazing!” Hilda told her parents, “God is amazing!”

“That’s right, Hilda!” Theresa said, “He is amazing!”

“We’re so happy that God gave us you two.” Philip said as he rested his head and his hand by Theresa’s stomach, “We will always take care of you, our miracle babies.”

“We love you, babies!” Hilda said as she pressed her ear by Theresa’s stomach

Theresa then ruffled the hairs of her husband and her daughter before wrapping them in a hug. She, her husband and her daughter were very much overjoyed at the fact that there were now two more additions in the family.

* * *

Fiona Hill and Owen Jones were at a Costa Coffee in Westminster. They had decided to meet up over snacks that day. The two had developed a close friendship ever since they started working together on a piece about the state of small businesses in the United Kingdom after Brexit.

Owen was showing Fiona pictures from a weekend trip he took to Edinburgh when suddenly, he received a text message from a fellow Labour activist asking him to check Jeremy Corbyn’s Instagram account.

Owen then opened the Instagram app and searched for the Labour leader’s Instagram account, which had a new post – which was a picture of an ultrasound with the following caption:

> **jeremy_corbynmp** : _Laura and I are pleased to announce the new addition to our family. Laura is now 20 weeks pregnant with a baby girl!_

Both Fiona and Owen were speechless as they read the pregnancy announcement on Jeremy Corbyn’s Instagram account. Owen then left a comment, congratulating Jeremy Corbyn and Laura Alvarez on the new addition to their family.

“I’m happy for Mr. Corbyn and Ms. Alvarez.” Fiona told Owen, “I wish the best for them and their daughter!”

“I’m happy for them as well.” Owen added, “Who would have thought Jeremy would become a father again after twenty or so years.”

“Miracles do happen, Owen.” Fiona told him, “Like how you, a socialist, and I, a conservative, have become close friends.”

“We should really pay Laura and Jeremy a visit one of these days.” Owen suggested

“Perhaps we can go shopping for clothes for the baby.” Fiona said, “and some other stuff that they’ll need for the new baby as well!”

“That’s a great idea!” Owen said in agreement

* * *

“Laura Alvarez is expecting a daughter!” Theresa said as she looked up from her phone. She had just seen Jeremy Corbyn’s latest Instagram post announcing his wife’s pregnancy after Fiona Hill notified her about it.

“Well, this is exciting.” Philip remarked, “First, we find out that we’re having two new additions to the family, and now, the Leader of the Opposition and his wife also announce that they’ve got an addition to their family.”

“Is Aunt Laura having a baby?” Hilda piped up

“Yes sweetie, your Aunt Laura is having a baby.” Theresa said, “She’s having a baby girl.”

“Yay! Aunt Laura is having a baby!” Hilda said with joy

“I’m happy for Jeremy and Laura and I am hoping for all the best for them!” Theresa said

“I am happy for them and I hope for all the best for them as well!” Philip added

Theresa then typed a congratulatory message for the Leader of the Opposition and his wife and posted it on her social media accounts. It read:

> _I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Jeremy Corbyn, the Leader of the Opposition and his wife, Laura Alvarez, on the new addition to their family._

 “I could not wait to find out if we’re having twin girls, twin boys or a boy and a girl.” Philip told Theresa after she had posted her congratulatory message to Jeremy Corbyn and Laura Alvarez on her social media accounts.

“I could not wait for that moment too!” Theresa told Philip, “But for now, let us focus on making sure that this pregnancy becomes strong and stable.” She added as she put her hand on top of her stomach.

“Here’s to our babies becoming strong and stable!” Philip said as he put his hand on top of Theresa’s stomach.

Theresa and Philip then smiled at each other, excited at what the next months have to offer for their growing family.


	34. Baby Boxes and Baby Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theresa May announces the introduction of the Baby Box scheme across the United Kingdom and Jeremy Corbyn and Laura Alvarez have decided a name for their daughter

_September 4, 2019 – House of Commons_

“Will the Right Honourable Prime Minister assure us that her government’s attempt to introduce the Baby Box scheme nationwide will push through?” Jeremy Corbyn, the Leader of the Opposition asked.

Parliament had already resumed after the summer recess and the British Government had just announced its intention to introduce the Baby Box scheme nationwide in the United Kingdom. The scheme was first introduced in Scotland by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and now, the scheme will be implemented across the United Kingdom through the efforts of the Prime Minister, Theresa May.

“I will assure you that the Baby Box scheme that this government will be introducing across the United Kingdom will push through.” Theresa May, the Prime Minister answered, “and the scheme will not only benefit those who are having their babies biologically, but those who are adopting babies as well. In fact, this government plans to create a similar scheme for those who are adopting children ages one and above. I’m sure that the Right Honourable Leader of the Opposition will find the Baby Box scheme helpful, especially as his wife is now expecting their daughter.”

The rest of the Prime Minister’s Questions went smoothly, and the Prime Minister gathered praises for how well she did on that day’s PMQs, especially when she spoke of the Baby Box scheme that her government would introduce nationwide.

* * *

Theresa was now back in her office in 10 Downing Street doing some paperwork when Philip, her husband, entered the office, carrying a tray with a bowl of peaches and strawberries and a glass of water.

“Why, you’re back early today!” Theresa commented

“I’ve already finished my work for the day,” Philip said, “and I decided to grab some fresh peaches and strawberries from the market and serve them to you personally. I’ve read that these fruits help with your cravings, especially since sweets aren’t healthy for pregnant people with diabetes.”

“How thoughtful of you, love!” Theresa said, “I have been craving for something sweet, but candies wouldn’t really do good for my health, and for the health of our babies, and I’ve read too that fruits can help with that, and you’ve brought me those bowl of peaches and strawberries at the right time!”

“Anything for the boss, of course!” Philip said as he set down the bowl of peaches and strawberries on top of Theresa’s desk.

Theresa took a slice of peach from the bowl and started to eat it. Then, she took a strawberry and started to eat it as well. She then found herself eating more of the peaches and strawberries, which satisfied her cravings for something sweet.

“You did a great job at the PMQs!” Philip told Theresa, “Deciding to introduce the Baby Box scheme nationwide, and making it available to those who have their babies biologically, as well as those who have their babies through adoption is a wonderful idea, and of course, creating a similar scheme for those who’ve adopted children one year old and over is marvelous as well!”

“I, along with the cabinet, have made the decision to introduce the Baby Box scheme, and make it more inclusive because this government is for a Britain that works for everybody.” Theresa explained, “and also, making the Baby Box available to parents who have had their babies through adoption would be very helpful. If we had some struggle getting Hilda the basics when we had just adopted her, imagine how those who are less fortunate than us are struggling in getting the basics for the babies they’ve adopted.”

“Oh, I do remember those days when we had just adopted Hilda.” Philip explained, “Right after Amber said that we could take her home, I spent the first few hours buying things that Hilda needed while you were on your way back to the flat.”

“And I really appreciate the extent you went to make Hilda feel welcomed into our lives.” Theresa said, “You could have just sent Fiona and Nick out to do the shopping for you, but you chose to do it yourself, all while watching over her at the same time.”

“And that didn’t just end there,” Philip said, “We even had to buy even more of Hilda’s basic needs in the next few days!”

“Of course, I remember!” Theresa spoke, “I had just finished a cabinet meeting and we went out to buy more milk for Hilda because she was really drinking a lot of milk, and the supply we had was not enough to match up her demands!”

“And that’s how Hilda became a chunky baby just a few weeks after we took her home!” Philip said with a chuckle. Theresa chuckled as well.

“We sure did a great job to take good care of her when we took her home!” Theresa remarked, “and we still are doing a great job in taking good care of her!”

“Now that the nationwide Baby Box scheme is about to happen, we’re going have an easier time preparing for the arrival of our babies!” Philip said, “and, since the babies are twins, do we get two baby boxes?”

“Of course!” Theresa answered, “We’re going to get two baby boxes, as with every parent who’ll have twins!”

“Some of the staunch believers of austerity in the government benches might not agree to that.” Philip said

“But in matters like the nationwide Baby Box scheme, austerity isn’t going to be helpful.” Theresa said, “Giving people a great start in life shouldn’t be done through austerity measures.”

“And that’s what the staunch believers of austerity in the Conservative Party have not realized.” Philip spoke, “No wonder Mr. Cameron eventually became unpopular. He just relied too much on austerity to fix the problem with our national budget that the last Labour government left.”

“He doesn’t know much about how most British people live, after all, he has been privileged all his life.” Theresa said

Then, Hilda entered Theresa’s office and ran straight to where her parents were situated. Then, she gave a hug to her mother, then to her father.

“Well sweetie, how are you?” Theresa asked Hilda

“I’m fine, thank you!” Hilda told her mother, “and I just saw Larry and Palmerston fight.”

“Are the cats okay?” Theresa asked

“Aunt Amber had to stop them.” Hilda said, “but she’s okay, the cats did not scratch her.”

“That’s good to hear!” Theresa told Hilda

“How are the babies?” Hilda asked Theresa

“They’re doing fine!” Theresa said, “Mummy just ate some peaches and strawberries, and they’re eating them as well.”

“How do they eat if they’re inside your tummy?” Hilda asked

“You see, when babies are still in the tummy, they eat through the umbilical cord.” Theresa explained, “so the peaches and strawberries that I ate go to them through the umbilical cord.”

“Oooh!” Hilda said out of wonder, “So it’s not only you who’s eating but the babies too?”

“That’s right!” Theresa said, “Whatever mummy eats, the babies eat as well!”

Theresa, Philip and Hilda spent the rest of the afternoon in the office, with Philip and Hilda playing board games as Theresa continued to do her paperwork.

* * *

_Islington, London_

Fiona Hill and Owen Jones were out shopping at a fair trade cooperative for some clothes for Jeremy Corbyn and Laura Alvarez’s daughter.

“These onesies with heart prints would look cute on Jeremy and Laura’s daughter!” Fiona said as she showed Owen an onesie with heart prints all over it

“I think this tartan onesie would look good on her!” Owen said as he showed Fiona a red tartan print onesie

“Why don’t we get both?” Fiona asked Owen

“You’re paying for both of them!” Owen told Fiona, “Between us, you do get the bigger paychecks!”

“Of course, that’s because I work as a consultant for think-tanks!” Fiona told him, “You should try it some time! Can’t see your potential go into waste, after all!”

“Hey! Writing for The Guardian is not putting my potential into waste!” Owen told Fiona

“I didn’t say that!” Fiona told him, “I was just saying that you should give being a consultant for think-tanks a try!”

“I think we should be getting this onesie with rose prints too!” Owen said as he showed Fiona another onesie with rose prints all over it

“I had no idea you enjoyed shopping so much!” Fiona said, chuckling at Owen

“I do buy clothes for my nephew and niece, you know!” Owen told Fiona, “Just because I said in an interview for The Guardian that I’m not into shopping doesn’t mean that I am absolutely not into it at all!” he added, referring to his interview with The Guardian where he was given a make-over.

“Alright you clothes loving socialist, it’s time to pay for these onesies!” Fiona said, making a reference to Owen’s interview with The Guardian.

Fiona and Owen then walked up to the cashier of the fair trade cooperative to pay for the onesies that they bought. They could not wait to give the onesies to Jeremy and Laura!

* * *

Jeremy Corbyn and Laura Alvarez were seated on the couch of their living room. Laura was leaning on Jeremy and they were talking about naming their baby now that they know that it’s a girl.

“Harriet is a nice name.” Laura told Jeremy, “Let’s name her after the Mother of the House.” She added, referring to Harriet Harman, the oldest sitting female MP in the House of Commons.

“Harriet sounds like a nice name for the baby.” Jeremy agreed, “Do you have another name in mind?”

“Camila. I’m thinking of naming the baby Camila too.” Laura said, “I’ve always wanted to name the baby after a famous Latin American as well. Camila Cabello is a famous Latin American, not to mention that she has always been fighting for the immigrants in the United States.”

“Camila sounds like a nice name too!” Jeremy told Laura

“Camila Harriet Corbyn, that sounds beautiful, doesn’t it?” Laura asked Jeremy

“It does, _mi amor_.” Jeremy answered, “It does.”

“You heard that, _mi pequeña_ ,” Laura said as she looked at her baby bump and put her hand on top of it, “You’ve got a name already!”

“Camila Harriet, _mamá y papá te quieren mucho_ ,” Jeremy said, looking at Laura’s baby bump as well then putting his hand on top of it, “ _mamá y papá siempre te cuidarán_.”

“You know, I’m glad that the Prime Minister is introducing the Baby Box scheme nationwide.” Laura then told Jeremy, “That would be of great help to our baby!”

“I have a lot of hope that the scheme goes well once it’s introduced.” Jeremy said

“It will surely go well, _mi amor_.” Laura reassured Jeremy

Jeremy and Laura had now decided on what to name their daughter, and now, they were off to a better start with raising their daughter after the Prime Minister had announced the nationwide Baby Box scheme. Things can only get better, after all!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> mi amor = my love  
> mi pequeña = my little one (feminine form)  
> mamá y papá te quieren mucho = mummy and daddy love you so much  
> mamá y papá siempre te cuidarán = mummy and daddy will always take care of you


	35. Love and Joy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theresa and Philip May discuss their plans for the next eight months while Jeremy Corbyn and Amber Rudd see an unlikely pair together at a Mexican Restaurant in Islington. Meanwhile, another royal wedding is about to take place.

Theresa, Philip and Hilda were sitting by the living room couch in 10 Downing Street after Theresa had finished chairing a cabinet meeting. Their dog, Chloe was sitting with them on top of a pillow on the couch as Hilda brushed her fur.

Theresa’s left palm rested on top of a pillow that was on top of her lap as Philip dutifully applied nail polish on her nails. The shade of the nail polish is crimson which is Theresa’s favorite nail polish shade.

“How did the cabinet meeting go?” Philip asked as he painted Theresa’s nails

“We were generally productive,” Theresa went on, “Sajid, Matt and Penny had given me their updates regarding the baby box scheme, they said that we should be ready to roll out the scheme nationwide by the end of the month. Just in time for the Conservative Party conference!”

“Well, that’s nice to hear!” Philip remarked, “I’m glad that your cabinet ministers who are mainly in charge of that scheme are bringing good news to the table. I do hope they’ll keep up with the great work!”

“And speaking of babies, you do know that I’d have to take a leave in eight months.” Theresa said, “I intend to take a leave a month before the babies are due and I was thinking of letting Amber take over my duties while I’m on leave, what do you think?”

“I think you should take that leave,” Philip told Theresa, “It’s for the best for our babies, and I’m sure Amber will be able to handle doing your duties while you are on leave.”

“In that case, we should tell her of my pregnancy once I’ve hit the 14 weeks mark.” Theresa said, “Right now, I want to focus on making sure that our babies are in good health knowing that the risk of miscarriage can still be high before the 14 weeks mark.”

“I’ll always be at your back, love.” Philip said after he finished painting Theresa’s nails on her left palm, “We’re going to make it through the next months together as a family.”

“Thank you, love!” Theresa said as she put her right palm on top of the pillow for Philip to apply nail polish on, “We’ll stay strong, for our babies!”

“Mummy, I’ll help you and daddy keep the babies strong.” Hilda said, “and I’ll pray for the babies to be strong!”

“That’s our girl!” Theresa remarked at Hilda, who gave her a toothy grin afterwards

Larry the Cat then climbed up to the living room couch and positioned himself near Theresa’s belly. Hilda then said, “Mummy, Larry’s beside you!”

Theresa turned to her left and saw the cat, then she laughed and said, “Yes Larry, I know there are babies in my tummy.”

Philip and Hilda laughed as well.

* * *

Jeremy Corbyn was in Chilango, a Mexican Restaurant in Islington. He was there to order some burritos after his wife, Laura started to crave for them. Earlier on, he had bought her burritos from Taco Bell, but he told her that she wanted an authentic burrito, and not fastfood burrito.

And that was how he found himself in Chilango.

“May I take your order sir?” The cashier asked Jeremy

“I’d like five burritos, to go.” Jeremy told the cashier, the look on his face being obvious that he could not wait to get his order and go back home.

“Would that be all, sir?” The cashier asked

“Yes.” Jeremy said snappily

“Your order will be served in 10 minutes, sir.” The cashier said, before turning towards the kitchen to take Jeremy’s order to the kitchen, “In the meantime, you may take a seat and we’ll just serve you your order.”

 _I better get those burritos in 10 minutes_ , Jeremy told himself as he took his seat by a table near the counter. He is not upset that his wife had asked him to find her authentic burritos. In fact, he is more than glad to cater to his wife’s needs. It’s just that he hopes that the order does not take more than the serving time that was promised, because he could not keep his wife waiting for her burritos any time longer.

Just then, Fiona and Owen entered the store. Owen spotted Jeremy seated by a table close to the cashier and told Fiona, “It’s Jeremy!”

“Do you want us to accompany him?” Fiona asked Owen, unsure of whether hanging out with the Leader of the Opposition was a good idea

“Well, why don’t we ask him if he wants our company?” Owen asked

“Good, we should ask him first.” Fiona said, “We don’t want to come off as awkward when we suddenly take our seats near him.”

Fiona and Owen then walked towards Jeremy’s table and Owen greeted the Leader of the Opposition, saying, “Hello Jeremy! It’s nice to see you around!”

Jeremy looked up and saw one of the journalists who stood by him, along with the former Special Adviser of the Prime Minister. He could not help but wonder why the two are going out together.

“Oh, hello there Owen!” Jeremy said as he looked up to Owen, “…and Fiona!” he added as he turned his attention to Fiona

“Owen and I were thinking if we could accompany you here.” Fiona told Jeremy, “Not that I’m planning to join the Labour Party. That’s absolutely not what I’m here for.” She added with conviction.

“Oh, of course, you two can sit with me.” Jeremy said

“So, what brings you here?” Owen asked Jeremy

“Laura wanted an authentic burrito.” Jeremy told Owen and Fiona, “and I’m getting her an authentic burrito.”

“Must be the cravings, huh?” Fiona asked

“Exactly.” Jeremy responded

“Well, how is Laura doing?” Owen asked

“She’s doing fine.” Jeremy told Owen, “She and the baby are in good health, and she’s still running her business even while being pregnant. She’s unstoppable, really!”

“Have you decided on a name for the baby yet?” Fiona asked. She had always wanted to find out what Jeremy and Laura were planning to name the baby.

“Camila Harriet.” Jeremy told Fiona, “We’re naming her Camila Harriet!”

“That’s so adorable!” Fiona remarked

“We wanted to name her after Camila Cabello and Harriet Harman.” Jeremy said, “Because of the things they have done to make people’s lives better.”

“I’m sure they’ll be glad to know that you have named your daughter after them.” Owen said

“I’m sure they will be.” Jeremy spoke, smiling afterwards

“If you do not mind, Owen and I are going to order some food.” Fiona told Jeremy

“I don’t mind at all!” Jeremy told Fiona, then, Fiona and Owen stood up and walked up to the cashier to place their orders.

* * *

The Mays were still at the living room, having some snacks after Theresa craved for some crisps. Philip had cooked the crisps himself and Theresa was delighted with the crisps that he cooked for her. Hilda found the crisps delicious as well.

“Vous deux aimez les chips, n'est-ce pas?” Philip said as he laid his palm on top of Theresa’s belly, noting the fact that Theresa was having cravings for the crisps, which also means that the babies wanted them too.

Theresa could not help but chuckle at her husband trying to talk to their unborn children in French, “Of course they love your crisps!” she told him, “and I take that you’re trying to make our babies bilingual?”

“Yup, I want our babies to grow bilingual!” Philip said

“I know.” Theresa said with a giggle, “You did the same with Hilda and now look, our sweet girl can speak some French.”

“Ces chips sont délicieuses!” Hilda piped up as she took another bite of the crisp

“See!” Theresa told Philip

“I told you I’m a good French teacher.” Philip said, laughing, “I got it from my mum!”

“C'est assez évident, mon amour.” Theresa told Philip

Philip could not help but smile at his wife’s remark.

Theresa then rested her palm on top of her belly and said, “Ton papa et moi prendrons toujours bien soin de toi deux.”

“Nous vous aimons tellement deux!” Philip added

Theresa’s phone then rang and when she picked up to answer it, Amber was on the other end of the line. She was wondering what caused Amber to call her up.

“Yes, this is the Prime Minister speaking.” Theresa said, “What do you need, Amber?”

“Well, I was grabbing some snacks from Chilango in Islington earlier on the way to a Conservative association event there, and I spotted your former Special Adviser dining out with Owen Jones from The Guardian.” Amber told Theresa, “I take that your family is still close to Fiona, so I believe that you might want to check on Fiona.”

“Oh, Fiona and Owen spent months together working on a piece for The Spectator magazine about small businesses and their experiences after Article 50 came into full effect.” Theresa told Amber, “Perhaps they’re planning on working on another piece.”

“They seemed to be a bit affectionate with each other!” Amber told Theresa, “are you sure they are not dating?”

“I don’t think Fiona is looking to date someone, and Owen is gay.” Theresa explained to Amber, “Perhaps they’re being affectionate as friends.”

“If that’s the case, I hope they don’t end up having a falling out.” Amber said, “I’m concerned, given that Fiona’s one of us and Owen sides with the opposition.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Amber.” Theresa told Amber, “You can be friends with people from other parties and find the things that you have more in common with them.”

“You’re right, Prime Minister.” Amber said, “In that case, I hope they’ll have a strong friendship.”

“I hope for the same too.” Theresa replied

Then, Theresa and Amber said their goodbyes to each other before ending the call. When the call had ended, Theresa could not believe what she had just heard – that Fiona and Owen were much closer than they already were the last time that she saw them, which was back in Edinburgh a few months back while she went shopping with her husband and daughter.

“Well, looks like Fiona and Owen have grown much closer to each other.” Theresa told Philip, “Amber saw them having snacks together at Chilango in Islington.”

“That’s great to hear!” Philip told Theresa

“Is Aunt Fiona with a friend?” Hilda asked Theresa

“Yes sweetie, she and her friend went out for snacks.” Theresa explained to Hilda

“That’s great!” Hilda told her mother, “I want to have snacks with my friends too!”

“I’m sure we can arrange that.” Theresa told Hilda

“So, why did Amber call you up about Fiona and Owen?” Philip asked Theresa

“She’s just concerned about them.” Theresa told Philip, “Particularly because Fiona’s a Conservative and Owen’s Labourite.”

“I’m sure Fiona can handle having Owen as a friend well.” Philip remarked, “Perhaps it would be Fiona who would finally put some sense to him and get him to call out Jeremy Corbyn without flip-flopping like he always does.”

“Fiona would definitely be capable of that, love.” Theresa said, “In a few months time, she might be able to convince Owen to get Jeremy Corbyn to enact actual positive change in the Labour party. Fiona just has that quality of getting people to stand up for what is right.”

“I do hope she’ll get Owen to stand for what is right.” Philip said

“I do hope for that as well.” Theresa added

Theresa and Philip then switched on the television just in time for BBC News at Six. They were in shock when they saw one of the headlines being flashed on screen.

“Duke of York to remarry Sarah, The Duchess of York” the headline on the screen read

“So Prince Andrew and Sarah are remarrying?” Theresa said as she watched the television screen

“Well, he’s past the fifth in line on the succession. He can do that even without the Queen’s approval.” Philip remarked

“I know, but this soon!” Theresa remarked, “Well, I do wish the best for them on their remarriage. For all the efforts they’ve done to rekindle their marriage, they deserve this.”

Theresa’s phone then rang. Melania Knauss was calling her.

“Oh, hello Melania!” Theresa said, answering the phone, “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing great!” Melania said with joy, “If you’re watching the news right now, Prince Andrew and Sarah’s remarriage has been announced. I’m doing Sarah and Prince Andrew’s wardrobe, as well as the wardrobe of the entourage!”

“That’s amazing!” Theresa remarked, “I’m so proud of you! You’ve only been here in the UK for under a year and you’re doing so much already!”

“I thought I should let you know this as well,” Melania said, “They’ve considered Hilda as one of the flower girls!”

Theresa’s eyes widened when she heard those words – _they’ve considered Hilda as one of the flower girls!_

“Hilda, did you hear that?” Theresa said, turning towards Hilda with an overjoyed look on her face, “You might be a flower girl to Prince Andrew and Sarah’s wedding!”

Hilda jumped in joy after hearing the good news from her mother, asking afterwards, “Mummy, what is a flower girl?”

“Oh sweetie, a flower girl carries a basket full of flower petals during a wedding and throws bits of the petals along the aisle.” Theresa explained, “You get to wear a gown like a princess too. You’ll love it!”

“Wow!” Hilda said in awe at the thought of throwing flower petals around while wearing a gown

“You heard that, our daughter’s going to be in the next royal wedding!” Philip said with pride

“Don’t get so excited yet, Philip.” Theresa said with a laugh, “Melania said there’s only plans of it, not that it’s official that Hilda’s going to be one of the flower girls.”

“Still!” Philip said, “The mere fact that they’re considering Hilda means that there’s a high chance for her to actually be one of the flower girls.”

“We’ll keep our fingers crossed for that, love!” Theresa told Philip

“I take it that you are all so happy with the good news.” Melania told Theresa over the phone, “Don’t worry, I’ll be praying that Hilda does become one of the flower girls.”

“That’s so nice of you, Melania!” Theresa said, “I hope you’ll do well as the official designer for the royal wedding. Good luck and God Bless to you!”

“Thank you, Prime Minister!” Melania said before ending the call

The Mays then turned their attention back to the television screen where the news report of Prince Andrew and Sarah, the Duchess of York’s marriage was still ongoing

“His Royal Highness the Duke of York and Sarah, the Duchess of York have made the announcement of their plan to remarry during an interview that took place during their visit to a rehearsal of the English National Ballet. Melania Knauss, an independent fashion designer, has been chosen by the couple as their official designer for the wedding. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the couple’s daughters, have also congratulated their parents on their decision to remarry. We have sent our royal correspondent to ask people about this news, and here is Jennie Bond at St. James’ Park, Jennie…” Sophie Raworth, one of the presenters of BBC News at Six said

 _“_ Sophie, the mood here is generally a mix of festivity and hesitance over the news of Prince Andrew remarrying Sarah, the Duchess of York.” Jennie went on, “I’ve interviewed some people regarding this. Most were welcoming to the remarriage, even wishing them all the best. Some, well, have cast doubts over Prince Andrew and Sarah’s rekindling of their marriage.”

“Well, their daughters are okay with it, they are okay with it. It should work well!” Philip reacted

“I can understand that some members of the public are still doubtful about Prince Andrew and Sarah being married again,” Theresa said, “But for the sake of the couple, and for the sake of their children who support them, they should be supportive as well. The support of the public for their remarriage would go a long way in helping their remarriage become a strong and stable one.”

“I for one, am ready to offer them with marriage advice should they need it.” Philip told Theresa

“I am ready to do the same thing for them as well.” Theresa said, “They could use some advice from us, and from other couples who have strong marriages, like Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh.”

“They need all the support they could get for this.” Philip said, “This remarriage is not only going to make history for the monarchy, but this remarriage is also proof that there is a lot of good things in this world!”

“That’s right!” Theresa said, “Prince Andrew and Sarah have all my support for this!”

Theresa and Philip could not help but feel amazed. They witnessed Prince Andrew and Sarah’s marriage getting rekindled within their lifetime. Who would have thought that this was even going to happen?

Hilda on the other hand, feels excited at the prospect of becoming a flower girl.

All was good on that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Vous deux aimez les chips, n'est-ce pas? = You two like the crisps, don't you?  
> Ces chips sont délicieuses! = These crisps are delicious!  
> C'est assez évident, mon amour. = It's pretty obvious, my love.  
> Ton papa et moi prendrons toujours bien soin de toi deux. = Your daddy and I will always take good care of you two.  
> Nous vous aimons tellement deux! = We love you so much!


	36. Thirty-Nine Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theresa and Philip May celebrate their thirty-ninth wedding anniversary and talk about what made their wedding anniversary that year a special one

_September 7, 2019 – Maidenhead_

“I’ve got a surprise for you, love.”

Theresa gave Philip a gift box, and when Philip received it, the box was a bit heavy. Then Philip unwrapped his present, carefully pulling out the ribbon before taking away the gift wrapper. He then lifted the lid of the box and he was greeted by the sight of a pile of scripts used for the first and second seasons of The Crown – complete with autographs from the cast of the TV series’ first and second seasons.

“This…this is amazing!” Philip said in awe as he skimmed through the pile of scripts, “How did you get these?” he asked Theresa

“I had to ask Claire Foy and Matt Smith to help me get those scripts.” Theresa explained, “and they were more than happy to assist.”

“I’ve been looking for these!” Philip told Theresa, “eBay wasn’t much of a help, all they had were signed photos of the cast but not these.”

“I’m glad I’ve got you those, love.” Theresa said, “Happy anniversary!”

“Now, I’ve got something for you too!” Philip said as he gave Theresa a gift box

Theresa then opened the gift box that Philip handed to her. She opened the gift box, carefully pulling out the ribbon before taking away the gift wrapper. Then, she lifted the lid of the box and saw a scrapbook inside the box. She then opened the scrapbook and on the first page, it read:

_All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change._

_-James 1:17_

“This…this is beautiful!” Theresa said as she looked at the scrapbook with tears of joy in her eyes

“We made a scrapbook for Hilda when she was a baby,” Philip said, “And I figured that I should give you a scrapbook for our wedding anniversary this year so that we could make a scrapbook for the twins.”

“Did you pick and write the bible verse on the scrapbook yourself?” Theresa asked Philip

“I did, and I think it’s very accurate to describe our twins, and even Hilda.” Philip said, “As for writing the bible verse that I picked, I had to take a crash course for calligraphy to do that you know! If reading calligraphy tutorials online counts as taking a calligraphy crash course, that is.”

“Well then, I think putting the first ultrasound picture of our twins in this scrapbook is in order!” Theresa told Philip

“But before that, I’ve got one more surprise for you!” Philip told Theresa

Philip then gave Theresa another gift box, which Theresa unwrapped after putting the scrapbook aside. When she opened the gift box, it contained a shoe box, and when she opened the lid of the box, she saw a pair of leopard print flats in it.

“Those are maternity shoes, I figured out that you’ll be needing them as your pregnancy progresses.” Philip told Theresa, “and I know very well that even if you’ll be switching your regular flats with maternity flats soon, you’ll still want to have amazing looking shoes.”

“I was thinking of buying maternity shoes in a month or two, but looks like you’ve gone ahead of me!” Theresa said with a chuckle as she tried on the shoes, “They’re a size bigger than my shoe size though, which should be useful for when I reach that point of my pregnancy when my feet starts to swell and all.”

“I’m glad you liked those.” Philip said, “They look so adorable on you!”

“Thank you, Philip!” Theresa said, “You never fail to amaze me!”

* * *

Theresa was now working on the scrapbook that Philip gave her earlier. She attached the ultrasound photo of the twins on the scrapbooking frame before attaching the said frame to the scrapbook page. Then she wrote “Our first month in mummy’s tummy” as the caption with a calligraphy pen.  


“Theresa, why don’t we put “They look like beans according to their big sister” there too?” Philip suggested with a chuckle

“Mummy, Daddy, what are you two doing?” Hilda asked as she entered her mother’s study in their home in Maidenhead

“Oh, we’re making a scrapbook for the babies.” Theresa told Hilda as she turned to face her. Philip faced her as well.

“Can I see?” Hilda asked with curiosity

Philip then lifted Hilda up so she could see the scrapbook that he and Theresa were working on better. Hilda was amused with what she saw and then she told her mother, “Mummy, that looks cute!”

“Thank you, sweetie!” Theresa told Hilda

* * *

Theresa and Philip were now sitting up in bed, just before going to sleep. Philip put his palm on top of Theresa’s palm which was on top of her belly.  


“We’ve waited thirty-nine years for a pregnancy to happen.” Theresa said, “Thirty-nine years.”

“and we couldn’t be more happier!” Philip told Theresa

“Better late than never, they say.” Theresa said, “The long wait was worth it. I’m pregnant not just with one, but two babies!”

“Guess you could say that makes our wedding anniversary this year special?” Philip asked

“Exactly!” Theresa said, “Finding out that we’re expecting twins on our wedding anniversary month makes our wedding anniversary this year special.”

“I love you Theresa.” Philip said to Theresa

“I love you too, Philip.” Theresa told Philip

Then they shared a chaste kiss.


	37. Thirty-Nine Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theresa and Philip May celebrate their thirty-ninth wedding anniversary and talk about what made their wedding anniversary that year a special one

_September 7, 2019 – Maidenhead_

“I’ve got a surprise for you, love.”

Theresa gave Philip a gift box, and when Philip received it, the box was a bit heavy. Then Philip unwrapped his present, carefully pulling out the ribbon before taking away the gift wrapper. He then lifted the lid of the box and he was greeted by the sight of a pile of scripts used for the first and second seasons of The Crown – complete with autographs from the cast of the TV series’ first and second seasons.

“This…this is amazing!” Philip said in awe as he skimmed through the pile of scripts, “How did you get these?” he asked Theresa

“I had to ask Claire Foy and Matt Smith to help me get those scripts.” Theresa explained, “and they were more than happy to assist.”

“I’ve been looking for these!” Philip told Theresa, “eBay wasn’t much of a help, all they had were signed photos of the cast but not these.”

“I’m glad I’ve got you those, love.” Theresa said, “Happy anniversary!”

“Now, I’ve got something for you too!” Philip said as he gave Theresa a gift box

Theresa then opened the gift box that Philip handed to her. She opened the gift box, carefully pulling out the ribbon before taking away the gift wrapper. Then, she lifted the lid of the box and saw a scrapbook inside the box. She then opened the scrapbook and on the first page, it read:

_All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change._

_-James 1:17_

“This…this is beautiful!” Theresa said as she looked at the scrapbook with tears of joy in her eyes

“We made a scrapbook for Hilda when she was a baby,” Philip said, “And I figured that I should give you a scrapbook for our wedding anniversary this year so that we could make a scrapbook for the twins.”

“Did you pick and write the bible verse on the scrapbook yourself?” Theresa asked Philip

“I did, and I think it’s very accurate to describe our twins, and even Hilda.” Philip said, “As for writing the bible verse that I picked, I had to take a crash course for calligraphy to do that you know! If reading calligraphy tutorials online counts as taking a calligraphy crash course, that is.”

“Well then, I think putting the first ultrasound picture of our twins in this scrapbook is in order!” Theresa told Philip

“But before that, I’ve got one more surprise for you!” Philip told Theresa

Philip then gave Theresa another gift box, which Theresa unwrapped after putting the scrapbook aside. When she opened the gift box, it contained a shoe box, and when she opened the lid of the box, she saw a pair of leopard print flats in it.

“Those are maternity shoes, I figured out that you’ll be needing them as your pregnancy progresses.” Philip told Theresa, “and I know very well that even if you’ll be switching your regular flats with maternity flats soon, you’ll still want to have amazing looking shoes.”

“I was thinking of buying maternity shoes in a month or two, but looks like you’ve gone ahead of me!” Theresa said with a chuckle as she tried on the shoes, “They’re a size bigger than my shoe size though, which should be useful for when I reach that point of my pregnancy when my feet starts to swell and all.”

“I’m glad you liked those.” Philip said, “They look so adorable on you!”

“Thank you, Philip!” Theresa said, “You never fail to amaze me!”

* * *

Theresa was now working on the scrapbook that Philip gave her earlier. She attached the ultrasound photo of the twins on the scrapbooking frame before attaching the said frame to the scrapbook page. Then she wrote “Our first month in mummy’s tummy” as the caption with a calligraphy pen.

“Theresa, why don’t we put “They look like beans according to their big sister” there too?” Philip suggested with a chuckle

“Mummy, Daddy, what are you two doing?” Hilda asked as she entered her mother’s study in their home in Maidenhead

“Oh, we’re making a scrapbook for the babies.” Theresa told Hilda as she turned to face her. Philip faced her as well.

“Can I see?” Hilda asked with curiosity

Philip then lifted Hilda up so she could see the scrapbook that he and Theresa were working on better. Hilda was amused with what she saw and then she told her mother, “Mummy, that looks cute!”

“Thank you, sweetie!” Theresa told Hilda

* * *

Theresa and Philip were now sitting up in bed, just before going to sleep. Philip put his palm on top of Theresa’s palm which was on top of her belly.

“We’ve waited thirty-nine years for a pregnancy to happen.” Theresa said, “Thirty-nine years.”

“and we couldn’t be more happier!” Philip told Theresa

“Better late than never, they say.” Theresa said, “The long wait was worth it. I’m pregnant not just with one, but two babies!”

“Guess you could say that makes our wedding anniversary this year special?” Philip asked

“Exactly!” Theresa said, “Finding out that we’re expecting twins on our wedding anniversary month makes our wedding anniversary this year special.”

“I love you Theresa.” Philip said to Theresa

“I love you too, Philip.” Theresa told Philip

Then they shared a chaste kiss.


End file.
